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A  Madcap  Cruise 


A   MADCAP 
CRUISE 

BY    ORIC   BATES 


Boston  and  New  York 

HOUGHTON,   MIFFLIN   £f  COMPANY 

(Cfje  ftitergi&e  prestf,  Cambri&ge 

1905 


COPYRIGHT    1905    BY   ORIC    BATES 
ALL    RIGHTS    RESERVED 


Published  March 


STACK 
ANNEX 

-"•">  .^ 

35(33 


TO 
MY  FATHER 


Contents 

Chapter  Page 

I.    The  Cardinal  Points  I 

II.    The  Fog  comes  in  19 

III.  It  blows  Southeast  36 

IV.  It  blows  Northwest  50 
V.    Land  Ho !  64 

VI.    Dinner  Ashore  81 

VII.    Luncheon  Aboard  104 

VIII.    A  Change  of  Tactics  129 

IX.    The  Doldrums  14? 

X.    Mr.  Wrenmarsh,  the  Extraordinary  163 

XI.    A  Lone-Hand  Game  199 

XII.    At  Vergil's  Tomb  228 

XIII.  A  Bid  for  the  Odd  Trick  240 

XIV.  Clearing  the  Decks  250 
XV.    In  the  Cattewater  263 

XVI.    Storm!  288 

XVII.    Facing  the  Music  3IQ 

XVIII.    Epilude  327 


A  MADCAP  CRUISE 
Chapter  One 

THE  CARDINAL  POINTS 

"  IT  strikes  me,"  said  Jerrold  Taberman,  "  that 
we  are  booked  for  everlasting  fame,  win  or  lose. 
We  '11  either  sail  down  the  ages  as  a  brace  of  heroes, 
or  as  the  most  egregious  pair  of  donkeys  that  ever 
botched  a  job." 

"  Well,  Jerry,"  returned  his  companion,  smiling, 
"  you  Ve  as  much  to  do  with  making  the  thing  a 
success  as  I  have.  I  hope  you  realize  the  respon 
sibility." 

The  young  men  chuckled  in  concert  at  the 
thought  of  all  that  was  involved  in  this  remark, 
although  they  looked,  not  at  each  other,  but  out 
over  the  sea. 

It  was  early  twilight  in  the  last  week  of  the 
month  of  May.  The  two  speakers  were  standing 
on  a  little  jetty  that  ran  out  into  a  small  and  all  but 
landlocked  harbor  of  an  island  in  East  Penobscot 


2  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

Bay.  Both  were  evidently  in  the  earlier  twenties, 
both  were  dressed  in  such  canvas  working-suits  as 
are  worn  by  the  sailors  in  our  navy,  and  both  were, 
at  half  a  glance,  gentlemen. 

The  second  speaker,  John  Castleport,  was  tall 
and  dark.  His  face,  with  its  prominent  features 
and  keen  brown  eyes,  was  rather  striking  than 
handsome.  He  stood  looking  southward  to  where, 
in  the  fading  light,  the  Atlantic  shouldered  away 
to  the  west  as  if  with  a  hidden  purpose  of  its  own. 
In  his  hand  he  held  a  pair  of  powerful  binoculars, 
and  despite  his  smile  he  had  the  air  of  being  pretty 
seriously  in  earnest. 

Taberman  contrasted  curiously  with  his  host. 
He  was  short  and  thickset,  with  blue  eyes  and 
fair  hair  which  showed  a  tendency  to  curl.  As  he 
stood  with  shoulders  turned  to  the  wind,  the 
square  collar  of  his  canvas  jumper  was  blown 
against  his  round  pate,  and  made  a  background 
for  his  tanned  face.  He  held  a  briar  drop-pipe 
between  his  teeth,  and  his  hands  were  thrust  deep 
into  his  trousers  pockets.  Working  his  pipe  into 
the  corner  of  his  mouth,  he  spoke  again. 

"  Hope  this  breeze  won't  trouble  the  old  gen 
tleman,"  he  remarked,  casting  a  glance  at  the 
billowing  double-headers  that  were  driving  by 
aloft. 


THE  CARDINAL  POINTS  3 

The  wind  shrilled  by  the  watchers  on  the  jetty, 
clear,  strong,  and  salt. 

"  Guess  not,"  replied  Castleport ;  "  anything 
short  of  a  hurricane 's  a  sailing-wind  for  him. 
He  's  a  mettlesome  old  chap." 

"  That 's  right  enough.  Can't  have  him  spoil 
ing  our  game  by  being  late,  you  know.  Let 's  go 
up  ;  it 's  getting  beastly  chilly." 

They  turned  and  walked  along  the  pier.  At  the 
point  where  it  met  the  shore  stood  a  small  boat- 
house.  Thence  the  ground,  covered  with  a  stunted 
growth  of  spruce  and  fir,  and  the  inevitable  New 
England  boulders,  rose  abruptly.  Directly  in  the 
line  of  the  jetty  the  shingled  roof  of  a  small  house 
showed  above  the  trees.  To  the  westward,  in  the 
dimming  afterglow  of  the  sunset,  the  Camden 
Hills  stood  out  luminous,  purple,  yet  rimmed 
with  a  thread  of  golden  fire.  Away  to  the  east, 
clad  in  soberer  colors,  rose  Mt.  Desert,  a  mass 
of  shadowy  greens  and  blues.  The  steepness  of 
the  path  they  were  ascending  soon  cut  off  from 
the  view  of  the  young  men  these  beauties  and 
grandeurs,  which,  however,  they  were  probably  not 
in  a  mood  to  dwell  upon  ;  and  a  minute's  walking 
brought  them  to  the  door  of  the  house,  a  small  affair 
with  high-pitched  roof  and  broad  veranda.  Its 
shingles  were  almost  the  color  of  the  dark  ever- 


4  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

greens  that  encircled  the  clearing  in  which  it  stood  ; 
its  windows  reflected  with  a  vacant  and  glassy  stare 
the  fast-fading  light.  Castleport  opened  the  door 
for  his  guest,  and  followed  him  into  the  living- 
room. 

The  darkness  seemed  the  greater  from  its  con 
trast  with  what  light  yet  remained  outside,  and  not 
until  Taberman  had  put  a  match  to  the  pile  of  old 
shingles  and  light  driftwood  in  the  wide  fireplace 
could  they  see  fairly.  The  crimson  glow  showed  a 
room  some  twenty  feet  square,  with  windows  on  two 
sides,  —  the  south  and  east.  The  joists  and  sheath 
ing  were  of  planed  spruce,  left  unpainted.  The  big 
Mexican  fireplace  of  brick  occupied  the  north 
western  corner ;  in  the  middle  of  the  room  stood 
conspicuously  a  round  deal  table,  covered  with  a 
litter  of  pipes,  tobacco,  magazines,  and  nautical 
hardware ;  between  the  two  eastern  windows,  be 
low  a  box-like  cabinet  which  was  attached  to  the 
wall,  was  a  smaller  table  with  a  square  top,  piled 
with  books  and  charts.  Beneath  the  southern  win 
dows  was  placed  a  heavy  desk  with  a  faded  baize 
top,  the  cloth  ink-stained  and  full  of  holes  due  to 
moths  and  carelessly  handled  cigars.  Of  the  happy- 
go-lucky  assortment  of  chairs  which  completed  the 
furniture  of  the  room,  no  large  portion  was  in  an 
entirely  unbroken  condition,  but  all  evidently  were 


THE  CARDINAL  POINTS  5 

meant  for  service  and  ease.  The  walls  of  the  room 
were  decorated  with  devices  in  scallop-shells  and 
a  few  unframed  water-colors  of  the  impressionist 
type.  A  large  chart  of  Penobscot  Bay  was  tacked 
to  the  inside  of  the  door,  and  a  venerable  flintlock 
musket  hung  below  a  battered  quadrant  over  the 
chimneypiece.  Everything  was  simple  almost  to 
rudeness,  yet  the  place  gave  at  once  and  most 
strongly  the  impression  of  comfort  and  good- 
fellowship. 

Castleport  laid  his  binoculars  on  the  desk,  and, 
stepping  to  a  door  on  his  right,  opened  it  and 
called  out :  — 

"  Oh,  Gonzague  ?  " 

"Sair?"  promptly  replied  some  one  from  be 
yond  the  short  passage  into  which  he  looked. 

"  Dinner  when  you  're  ready,  Gonzague." 

"  A'  right,  sair." 

Taberman  had  seated  himself  by  the  fire,  and 
here  Castleport  joined  him.  Each  filled  and  lighted 
a  pipe,  and  together  they  stared  at  the  flames 
roaring  up  the  wide  chimney.  The  smaller  sticks 
already  began  to  fall  apart,  pitching  outward  or 
dropping  between  the  dogs,  and  for  some  moments 
the  young  men  watched  them  in  silence.  At  length, 
as  Taberman  flung  a  fresh  stick  into  the  flames, 
Castleport  spoke,  half  to  himself. 


6  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

"  What  a  lesson  it  '11  be  to  the  old  chap!  My 
aunt!  He  '11  grind  his  teeth  to  powder  !  " 

"  Tooth-powder,  eh  ?  "  queried  the  other  with 
a  grin.  "  But  we  must  be  sure  we  have  the  laugh 
on  the  right  side.  It  isn't  merely  the  getting  away 
with  the  Merle  that 's  the  joke  ;  it 's  the  hanging 
on  to  her  and  bringing  her  back  safe." 

"  That  's  true  enough,"  assented  Castleport ; 
"  but  with  pluck  and  luck  and  an  eye  to  the  three 
L's,  we  ought  to  manage." 

"You'd  better  go  over  the  whole  plan  for  me, 
Jack  ;  you  have  n't  given  me  half  the  details,  and 
I  'd  like  to  know  the  latest  version.  It's  certainly 
important  to  have  everything  perfectly  understood 
beforehand." 

"  All  right ;  I  '11  go  over  the  whole  business 
after  dinner,  old  man.  We  will  act  the  conspira 
tors  rehearsing  their  villainy;  but  let's  wait  for 
food.  I  hate  discussions  on  an  empty  stomach." 

"  Correct ;  here  's  Gonzague  now." 

A  tall,  gray-haired  man,  with  a  much-bronzed 
face,  came  in  and  began  to  clear  away  the  litter  on 
the  round  table.  He  had  a  rugged,  weather-beaten 
countenance,  .with  prominent  features  and  lumi 
nous  black  eyes.  Beneath  his  big,  hooked  nose 
a  large  white  mustache,  stiff  and  curled  like  that 
of  a  walrus,  half  hid  a  firm,  full-lipped  mouth.  A 


THE  CARDINAL  POINTS  7 

native  of  Provence,  —  soldier,  sailor,  cook,  and 
deck-hand,  —  old  Gonzague  Mairecalde  had  led 
sixty-odd  years  of  exciting  and  polyglot  existence, 
the  last  three  of  which  had  been  spent  in  Castle- 
port's  service.  Dressed  in  blue  flannel  trousers 
and  an  immaculate  white  jacket,  the  old  man 
moved  noiselessly  about,  swiftly  disposing  of  the 
things  on  the  table.  He  seemed  to  have  a  place 
for  everything,  and  the  lightest  tread  and  deftest 
hands  imaginable.  Having  cleared  away,  he  went 
out,  and  soon  reappeared  with  linen  and  service. 
In  a  short  time  the  table  was  ready  for  the  bring 
ing  in  of  the  food. 

"  A'  ready,  sair  ?  "  asked  Gonzague,  tugging  at 
his  mustache  with  his  bony  fingers. 

"  Two  minutes,"  answered  Jack.  "  Come  on, 
Jerry  ;  let 's  scrub  up." 

In  ten  minutes  they  were  seated  before  a  dinner 
plain  but  hearty,  well  cooked  and  appetizingly 
served.  They  were  apparently  not  at  all  troubled 
by  any  incongruity  between  their  rough  and  not 
over-fresh  sailor  clothes  and  the  snowy  napery 
and  the  silver  on  which  the  fire  threw  dancing 
and  wavering  lights.  On  the  walls  opposite  the 
fireplace  mute,  shadowy  grotesques  helped  each 
other  to  huge  supplies  from  dishes  of  vague  out 
line  and  uncertain  size,  plied  dark  forks  and 


8  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

spoons  with  ogre-like  gusto,  or  with  heads  thrown 
back  and  crooked  elbows  drank  like  trolls  from 
enormous  tankards. 

After  dinner  the  table  was  cleared,  a  jug  of  ale 
was  placed  upon  it,  with  a  plate  of  ship-biscuit 
and  a  supply  of  tobacco.  It  was  the  theory  of 
Castleport  that  the  climate  of  the  Island  was  Eng 
lish  enough  to  warrant  this  nightly  attack  upon 
the  October,  of  which  his  uncle,  who  owned  the 
Island,  kept  always  a  butt  in  the  cellar.  In  truth, 
the  fresh  coolness  of  the  air  at  night,  the  pleasant 
blaze  of  the  fire,  the  agreeable  scent  of  burning 
tobacco,  made  a  tankard  or  two  of  ale  seem  hardly 
to  need  an  excuse  of  any  sort. 

With  the  table  pulled  forward  so  that  its  edge 
came  between  them,  their  pipes  lit,  their  feet 
stretched  out  comfortably  toward  the  hearth,  the 
pair  of  friends  smoked  for  a  time  in  silence,  until 
at  last  Jack,  after  refilling  and  relighting  his  pipe 
with  great  deliberation,  broke  into  speech. 

"  Before  I  go  into  the  details  of  this  job,"  he 
observed,  "  there  's  one  thing  I  have  to  say.  It  's 
a  waste  of  breath  for  me  to  talk  until  I  know 
you  're  with  me.  I  have  n't  done  anything  more 
than  to  ask  you  off-hand,  old  man  ;  now  I  'd  like 
you  to  say  seriously  whether  you  '11  come  on  this 
cruise  with  me  or  not.  I  hate  to  be  so  horribly 


THE  CARDINAL  POINTS  9 

businesslike,  Jerry,  especially  in  the  matter  of  a 
lark;  but  in  —  er  —  larking  on  this  scale,  things 
have  got  to  be  put  on  a  definite  basis,  —  be  per 
fectly  understood,  as  you  said  before  dinner." 

Taberman  gave  his  companion  a  sidelong  glance, 
and  began  to  smile.  The  smile  grew  into  an  audi 
ble  chuckle  ;  and  this  in  its  turn  developed  into  a 
laugh  increasing  to  a  jovial  roar. 

"  You  solemn  old  pirate,"  he  cried,  "  what  sort 
of  a  quitter  do  you  take  me  for  ?  I  '11  give  you  any 
kind  of  a  promise  you  like,  provided  —  semper 
more  equitis,  you  know  —  Can't  bind  myself  to  cut 
throats,  scuttle  ships,  fly  the  jolly  roger,  et  cetera. 
What 's  your  form  of  oath,  eh  ?  Do  we  drink  each 
other's  blood  out  of  a  skull,  or  what?  " 

There  was  a  boyish  exuberance  about  Jerrold 
Taberman,  a  debonair  abandon,  which  he  never 
could  outgrow.  It  accorded  well  with  his  youth 
ful  face  and  careless  mien,  which  made  him  so 
marked  a  contrast  to  his  friend.  Castleport,  al 
though  impulsive  and  disposed  to  jollity  as  only  a 
hale  and  hearty  young  man  of  twenty-two  can  be, 
was,  on  the  whole,  of  a  temperament  the  reverse 
of  boisterous.  He  responded  frankly  to  Jerry's 
outburst. 

"  Well,  old  man,"  said  he,  "  there 's  nothing 
more  needed  than  your  word  that  you'll  go,  and 


io  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

stick  it  out  to  the  end.  I  knew  you  would,  Jerry. 
Confound  it,  give  us  your  flipper  !  " 

In  his  enthusiasm  he  caught  Taberman's  hand 
and  wrung  it  heartily,  being  evidently  moved  more 
by  some  inner  consciousness  of  the  weighty  nature 
of  the  scheme  he  was  about  to  outline  than  by  any 
thing  that  had  actually  been  said  between  them. 
Jerry  laughed,  and  returned  the  grip  with  interest. 

"  And  now,"  continued  Castleport,  "  I  '11  let 
you  have  particulars  galore.  I  '11  tell  you  the  be 
ginning  of  it  first :  how  the  idea  came  to  me. 
About  three  weeks  ago  I  decided  I  'd  go  abroad, 
—  I  wrote  you,  you  remember.  Well,  I  went  to 
Uncle  Randolph,  and  asked  him  for  a  letter  of 
credit.  That 's  what  comes  of  the  pleasant  arrange 
ment  by  which  all  my  property  's  in  trust  till  I  'm 
twenty-five  !  Beastly  nuisance  !  " 

"  Of  course  it  is,"  assented  his  companion. 
"  It 's  queer  your  father  made  such  a  will.  How 
ever,"  he  added,  as  if  with  the  feeling  that  he  was 
perhaps  touching  upon  delicate  ground,  "  that 's 
neither  here  nor  there.  Heave  ahead." 

"You  know  why  I  wanted  to  go,"  Jack  went 
on,  "  and  so  "  — 

"  Slow  up  a  bit,"  interrupted  the  other,  mis 
chief  shining  in  his  eyes  ;  "  why  should  you  want 
to  go  particularly  ?  " 


THE  CARDINAL  POINTS          n 

"Confound  you  !"  retorted  Castleport.  "You 
know  perfectly  well !  Do  you  think  it 's  any  fun 
to  be  here  when  —  when  "  — 

"  When  Miss  Marchfield  's  on  the  other  side," 
finished  Jerry,  with  the  air  of  enjoying  a  huge 
joke. 

Jack  shifted  uncomfortably  in  his  seat,  leaned 
forward  to  rap  the  ashes  out  of  his  pipe  on  the 
firedog,  and  then  looked  at  his  friend  seriously. 

"  I  won't  be  roughed,  Jerry,"  he  said.  "  You 
know  perfectly  well  I  'm  dead  in  earnest  about 
her,  and  I  '11  thank  you  to  let  up." 

"  All  right,  Jack ;  I  beg  your  pardon  ;  but  I 
would  like  to  ask  one  thing.  It's  not  exactly  my 
business,  of  course,  but  really  it 's  something  I  'd 
like  to  know  in  connection  with  this  scheme." 

"  Fire  away,"  Castleport  said  rather  grimly. 

"  Well,  then,  what  I  want  to  know  is  why  the 
President 's  so  set  against  your  marrying  Katrine 
Marchfield?" 

"  It  is  n't  time  to  talk  of  marrying,"  Jack  re 
turned  somewhat  stiffly.  "  She  may  have  some 
thing  to  say  to  that." 

"  Of  course,  old  fellow  ;  but  you  know  what  I 
mean.  What  's  his  objection 'to  your  trying?" 

"  I  don't  see  how  that  affects  the  cruise,  exactly, 
but  I  don't  mind  telling  you ;  only  of  course  I 


12  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

shouldn't  want  it  talked  about.  It's  so  unrea 
sonable,  and  honestly  I  should  hate  to  seem  to 
be  giving  Uncle  Randolph  any  sort  of  a  black 
eye." 

"  I  should  n't  repeat  it,  Jack  ;  but  you  need  n't 
say  anything  if  you  'd  rather  not." 

"  It 's  only  that  it  looks  as  if  Uncle  Randolph 
was  infernally  obstinate  and  cranky,  and  he  really 
is  n't.  He  had  n't  any  reason  to  give  me,  that 
amounted  to  anything.  He  talked  about  Katrine's 
not  having  any  money ;  but  of  course  that 's  all 
poppy-cock.  I  've  got  a  good  bit  myself  when  I 
come  into  it,  and  he  's  always  told  me  I  should 
have  all  his.  Of  course  Katrine  has  n't  much, 
though  she  '11  have  something,  I  suppose,  from 
her  aunt." 

"Aunt?" 

"Why,  Mrs.  Fairhew.  Katrine  's  traveling  with 
her  now.  She 's  the  only  near  relative  Katrine 
has." 

"  But  if  it  is  n't  money  "  — 

"  No,  it  is  n't  that.  The  truth  is  —  I  heard  it 
from  Mrs.  Fairhew  once ;  I  was  n't  sure  then,  and 
I  'm  not  now,  whether  she  knew  quite  how  much 
she  was  telling  me,  and  meant  it  for  a  warning,  or 
not.  I  'm  half  inclined  to  think  she  did." 

"But    what  was  it?"  inquired  Jerry,  as   Jack 


THE  CARDINAL  POINTS          13 

paused  to  meditate,  with  his  eyes  fixed  earnestly 
on  the  fire. 

"  Oh,  Uncle  Randolph  had  some  sort  of  a  row 
with  Katrine's  father  when  they  were  young  men. 
I  fancy  it  was  about  a  girl,  for  I  know  there  was 
one  somewhere  along  about  that  time.  I  Ve 
heard  father  speak  of  it,  and  say  it  altered  Uncle 
Randolph's  whole  life.  Anyway,  there  was  some 
sort  of  a  scrap,  and  Uncle  Randolph  never  for 
gave  it." 

"  Humph  !  "  was  Taberman's  comment.  "  It 's 
rather  crotchety  of  him  to  vent  his  spite  on  Miss 
Marchfield." 

"  Of  course  it  is,"  Castleport  answered,  "  but 
he  's  not  so  bad  as  it  looks.  He  's  been  awfully 
good  to  me  all  my  life." 

A  brief  pause  followed,  in  which  both  were 
probably  reflecting  upon  the  character  of  Ran 
dolph  Drake,  one  of  Boston's  prominent  men, 
president  of  one  of  the  largest  banks,  and  trustee 
of  a  dozen  important  corporations  ;  a  man  whose 
chief  aim  in  life  was,  apparently,  making  money, 
whose  amusement  was  yachting.  It  was  in  con 
nection  with  this  sport  that  he  had  a  few  years 
before  bought  the  island  and  put  up  the  house  in 
which  his  motives  were  now  being  discussed.  The 
place  served  as  a  shooting-box  or  as  a  base  of  sup- 


i4  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

plies,  and  was  provided  with  a  trig  little  harbor 
exactly  adapted  for  the  accommodation  of  the 
President's  yacht,  the  Merle. 

"  After  all,"  Jack  said  at  length,  "  Uncle  Ran 
dolph  really  cares  more  for  me  than  he  does  for 
anything  else  in  the  world." 

"  And  so  when  he  suspected  that  you  were  go 
ing  abroad  to  try  to  marry  the  daughter  of  his  old 
enemy,  he  would  n't  supply  the  funds." 

"  He  can't  seem  to  get  it  into  his  head  that  I 
am  grown  up,  anyhow,"  grumbled  Jack.  "  I  Ve 
made  up  my  mind  now  that  I  '11  convince  him 
that  I  am." 

"  Why  in  the  world  did  n't  you  borrow 
the  money,  Jack  ?  That  would  have  been  easy 
enough." 

"  Well,  when  I  came  of  age  I  made  Uncle  Ran 
dolph  a  sort  of  a  promise  that  I  would  n't  borrow. 
He  put  it  that  it  would  be  evading  the  intent  of 
my  father's  will ;  and  of  course  it  would.  Any 
way,  Uncle  Randolph  himself  put  a  bigger  idea 
into  my  head.  It  took  me  one  day  and  two  nights, 
mostly  without  sleep,  to  think  it  out,  and  then  I 
got  hold  of  you." 

"  How  did  he  suggest  it  ?  " 

"  He  was  really  sorry  for  me  ;  I  could  see  that. 
Only  he  had  the  air  of  feeling  I  was  so  young  that 


THE  CARDINAL  POINTS          15 

any  other  cake  would  do  as  well  as  the  one  I  wanted. 
The  very  day  that  he  refused  to  let  me  go  abroad, 
he  suggested  that  I  come  down  here  with  Gon- 
zague  and  some  friend  or  other.  He  thought  that  if 
I  fooled  round  the  bay  until  he  came  to  pick  me 
up  on  the  Merle,  I  should  get  over  my  wish  to  go 
abroad.  He  said  I  was  run  down,  needed  change, 
and  so  on.  He's  coming  June  5,  and  plans  to  go 
on  down  to  the  Provinces.  Then  he  said  that 
after  he  had  had  his  cruise  on  the  Merle  I  might 
perhaps  like  to  have  her  a  week  or  two  myself. 
It  was  a  mighty  great  concession,  let  me  tell  you. 
When  I  think  of  taking  the  boat,  I  'm  half  ashamed 
of  myself,  the  old  gentleman  's  so  rum  fond  of 
her." 

"  And  that  put  the  notion  into  your  head  ?  " 

"  Yes,  only  not  at  the  moment.  I  said  to  my 
self  that  if  I  was  going  to  cruise  in  the  Merle  I  'd 
like  to  go  across  in  her ;  but  it  was  n't  till  that 
night,  just  as  I  was  turning  in,  that  the  idea  of 
getting  her  now  and  running  off  came  to  me.  It 
fairly  bowled  me  over  !  " 

"  I  should  think  it  might ! "  laughed  Taber- 
man. 

"At  first  it  seemed  the  easiest  thing  in  the 
world.  Then  I  began  to  think  of  objections,  and 
as  fast  as  I  got  one  out  of  the  way  another  popped 


16  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

up.  I  Ve  worked  at  it  like  a  prize  puzzle.  I  've 
got  my  crew  picked  out,  I've  planned  how  to 
get  possession  of  the  yacht  and  to  get  rid  of  her 
old  crew ;  and  then  —  Hurrah  for  the  Mediter 
ranean  ! " 

"  Oh,  Jacko,  you  devil !  "  cried  Taberman.  "  I 
would  n't  have  believed  you  had  it  in  you  !  Do 
you  really  think  we  can  do  it  ? " 

"  Do  it !  Of  course  we  '11  do  it.  Did  n't  I  tell 
you  I  'd  got  my  crew  already  ?  Ten  strappers,  not 
counting  Gonzague." 

"  Did  Gonzague  kick  ?  " 

"  Gonzague  ?  Did  you  ever  consider,  Tab,  those 
eyes  of  his,  with  that  nose  and  mouth  ?  " 

"  No,"  Jerry  responded,  "  I  've  never  given  his 
features  any  especial  critical  overhauling." 

"  Saracen !  '  Jack  said,  lowering  his  voice. 
"  When  you  see  that  combination  in  a  Spaniard 
or  a  Provencalese,  it  spells  Moorish  marauder 
every  time.  He  does  n't  know  it,  I  fancy ;  but 
there's  good  old  ripe  Moorish  pirate  blood  in 
him,  and  it  came  sizzling  to  the  top  the  moment 
I  broached  the  scheme.  Besides,  Gonzague  would 
have  his  throat  cut  for  me  any  time." 

"  That 's  so,  but  he  's  as  honest  an  old  soul  as 
there  is  above  ground." 

"  Of  course  I  told  him,  and  I  told  the   crew, 


THE  CARDINAL  POINTS          17 

that  it  was  a  lark.  You  know  I  Ve  knocked  about 
Penobscot  Bay  ever  since  I  got  out  of  the  nursery. 
Everybody  knows  me,  and  at  Isle  au  Haut  I  Ve 
been  so  much  that  I  'm  almost  like  one  of  their 
own  pals  to  the  natives.  I  got  hold  of  my  men 
pretty  easily.  Of  course  they  look  on  me  as  the 
same  as  the  President's  son  ;  and  they  were  willing 
enough  to  leave  the  fishing  for  better  wages  than 
they  could  earn  anywhere  else.  They  all  like  me, 
and  so  of  course  they  all  take  advantage  of  me  in 
the  way  of  wages." 

"I  confess  I  don't  see  where  your  economy 
comes  in,  Jacky,"  observed  Taberman,  giving  a 
poke  to  the  wasting  fire.  "  I  don't  know  much 
about  expenses,  but  I  should  think  it  would  cost 
as  much  to  hire  a  crew  as  to  go  without  one." 

Castleport  grew  grave  and  moved  a  little  impa 
tiently. 

"  There 's  a  question  for  a  casuist,"  he  said. 
"  I  'm  taking  these  men  off  on  the  trust  that  Uncle 
Randolph  will  let  me  pay  them  when  I  get  home. 
It 's  a  deuced  sight  more  like  borrowing  than  I 
wish  it  were,  though  of  course  my  allowance  comes 
in ;  but  I  'm  bound  that  he  shall  get  it  into  his  head 
that  I  'm  no  longer  in  leading-strings,  and  " 

Taberman  looked  at  him  affectionately  and 
comprehendingly. 


i8  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

"  That  '11  be  all  right,  old  man,"  he  said  con 
solingly.  "  We  '11  get  out  of  that  somehow.  I  'd 
like  to  see  the  President's  face  when  he  finds  he's 
left  high  and  dry  down  here  and  the  Merle  has 
flitted  across  the  Atlantic  without  him." 

"  Oh,  he  won't  be  here.  We  '11  capture  the 
yacht  at  North  Haven.  I  '11  show  you  the  whole 
scheme  to-morrow  on  the  chart.  I  've  brought 
down  more  than  a  thousand  for  this  coast  and  the 
Mediterranean  !  Now  let 's  get  to  bed.  It 's  only 
a  week  or  so  that  we  have  left  to  sleep  with  a  clear 
conscience." 

Taberman  rose  from  his  seat,  then  without 
warning  suddenly  slapped  his  knees  with  his  hands 
and  burst  into  a  roar"  of  laughter. 

o 

"  Oh,  by  George,"  he  cried,  "  what  a  jolt  it  '11 
be  for  Uncle  Randolph  ! " 

"  That 's  the  cream  of  the  whole  thing,"  re 
sponded  Jack,  joining  in  the  laugh.  "  He  '11  be  so 
surprised  to  find  out  that  I  'm  grown  up." 


Chapter  Two 

THE    FOG    COMES    IN 

THE  Casino  at  North  Haven  is  a  curious  little 
box,  known  locally  —  possibly  from  its  situation  at 
the  end  of  a  fairly  long  wharf — as  the  "Fo'c'sle." 
It  has  but  one  room,  paneled  with  imitation  Japan 
ese  carvings,  and  having  an  attractive  divan-like 
seat  in  a  wide  bay-window,  where  one  may  lounge 
and  watch  the  vessels  passing  through  the  Thor 
oughfare.  Outwardly  the  building  is  very  plain, 
its  two  prominent  features  being  the  bay-window, 
which  looks  south,  and  a  flight  of  outside  stairs 
on  the  west  which  lead  to  a  little  nest  of  a  balcony 
half  hidden  under  the  gable-end  of  the  roof  above 
this  window. 

The  balcony  is  so  covered  by  the  peak  of  the 
roof  that  its  interior  is  not  visible  from  the  wharf, 
and  a  person  sitting  on  the  settle  at  the  back  of  it 
can  be  seen  only  from  a  boat  some  distance  out  on 
the  water. 

The  Casino  is  little  used,  and  although  the  care- 


20  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

taker  unlocks  the  door  each  morning,  the  place  is 
more  generally  deserted  than  not.  The  subscribers 
who  come  down  to  the  wharf  to  start  for  rowing 
or  sailing  sometimes  step  in,  wait  for  friends,  or 
use  the  place  as  a  storage  for  extra  wraps  ;  some 
times  a  riotous  group  of  children  holds  brief  but 
noisy  possession  ;  but  after  sunset  the  solitude  is 
generally  unbroken  until  ten  o'clock,  when  the 
caretaker  comes  to  lock  up  for  the  night.  If  the 
weather  be  bad,  it  is  not  unusual  for  the  Casino 
to  remain  unvisited  for  the  entire  day.  It  affords 
a  convenient  shelter  when  it  is  needed,  however, 
and  its  wharf,  with  a  float  on  either  side,  makes  a 
good  landing-place  ;  and  it  is,  in  a  word,  one  of  the 
numerous  class  of  things  which  in  this  world  are 
not  constantly  in  demand,  but  which,  when  they 
are  wanted  at  all,  are  wanted  badly. 

Here,  on  the  evening  of  the  fourth  of  June,  Jer- 
rold  Taberman,  wrapped  in  a  shapeless  ulster, — for 
a  thick  fog  was  driving  in  from  the  southeast, — 
sat  awaiting  his  friend.  Half  an  hour  earlier  Jack 
had  gone  to  get  something  to  eat,  and  Jerry  had 
agreed  to  meet  him  here.  Taberman  was  some 
what  tired  to-night,  and  beginning  to  feel  the  strain 
of  three  crowded  and  exciting  days  in  which  he  had 
had  little  time  for  anything  but  action  and  sleep. 
The  young  men  had  completed  their  arrangements 


THE  FOG  COMES  IN  21 

at  the  Island,  had  left  Gonzague  in  charge  there, 
had  notified  the  future  crew  to  report  to  the  Pro- 
vencalese  on  the  evening  of  the  third,  and  to  hold 
themselves  in  readiness  to  sail  immediately  on  the 
arrival  of  the  Merle.  The  pair  had  then  taken 
the  big  market-boat,  a  Whitehall  used  for  bringing 
supplies  from  Isle  au  Haut,  and  with  a  couple  of 
the  most  able  of  the  Isle  au  Haut  men,  selected 
beforehand,  had  sailed  over  to  an  unfrequented 
cove  in  Vinal  Haven,  on  the  south  side  of  the 
Thoroughfare.  There  they  encamped  in  hiding. 
They  had  reached  their  place  of  concealment 
by  night,  and  next  afternoon  had  the  satisfaction 
of  seeing  the  Merle  come  in  from  the  westward 
and  drop  anchor  just  inside  the  channel,  off  the 
"  Fo'c'sle." 

"  By  Jove,  is  n't  she  a  fine  sight !  "  Castleport 
exclaimed  enthusiastically  ;  and  Jerry  assented  no 
less  warmly. 

The  Merle  ran  in  under  full  sail,  with  a  quar 
tering  breeze.  Her  clean  white  hull,  eighty-four 
feet  on  the  water-line,  her  shining  brasses,  her 
broad  spread  of  snowy  canvas,  the  easy  run  of 
her  long  counter,  combined  to  make  a  picture 
which,  even  personal  interest  aside,  could  not  fail 
to  stir  such  enthusiasts  as  Jack  and  Tab. 

On  the  evening  of  the  arrival  of  the  Merle  two 


22  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

gentlemen  and  three  ladies  had  gone  on  board, 
evidently  to  dine,  as  they  did  not  leave  until 
nearly  ten  o'clock.  Castleport  and  Taberman, 
lying  concealed  among  the  bushes  overgrowing 
a  tiny  promontory  on  Vinal  Haven,  had  watched 
all  this  through  their  night-glasses.  Jack,  whose 
eyes  were  as  keen  as  a  hawk's,  had  even  thought 
that  he  could  distinguish  who  the  visitors  were. 
With  guests  on  board  there  was  evidently  nothing 
that  the  conspirators  could  do  but  to  watch,  and 
when  this  was  over  they  smoked  a  good-night 
pipe  together  over  their  campfire,  and  for  the 
hundredth  time  fell  to  considering  their  chances 
of  success.  Behind  them  in  the  shadow  lay  the 
two  sailors,  wrapped  in  their  blankets  and  sleeping 
the  sleep  which  only  the  genuine  mariner  knows ; 
Jack  glanced  at  them  as  if  he  felt  that  somehow 
he  was  personally  responsible  for  carrying  through 
the  enterprise  for  which  they  had  been  enlisted. 

"  What  the  deuce  shall  we  do  if  the  President 
takes  it  into  his  head  to  get  under  weigh  for  the 
island  to-morrow  ?  "  Jerry  demanded  in  a  subdued 
voice. 

"  Oh,  that 's  all  right,"  Jack  answered  in  the 
same  key.  "  He  won't.  He  's  fond  of  North 
Haven  ;  it 's  an  old  stamping-ground  of  his,  and 
he  '11  never  go  on  without  having  had  at  least 


THE  FOG  COMES  IN  23 

one  night's  bridge  here.  That 's  part  of  the 
cruise.  Besides,  it 's  going  to  be  thick,  or  I  'm  a 
duffer." 

Thick  it  certainly  was  next  day.  The  brisk 
southeasterly  breeze  that  blew  through  the  Thor 
oughfare  all  day  seemed  to  roll  in  white  billows  of 
fog  far  more  rapidly  than  it  could  take  them  out 
at  the  other  end.  The  strait  acted  as  a  sort  of  con 
denser,  in  which  the  mist  became  almost  tangibly 
more  solid,  until  at  nightfall  it  was,  as  one  of 
Castleport's  men  put  it,  "blacker  'n  a  tar-bucket." 
Under  cover  of  the  obscurity  Jack  had  had  the 
market-boat  reloaded  with  such  necessities  as  they 
had  brought  over  for  their  camp,  and  rowed  silently 
over  to  one  of  the  Casino  floats.  Here  he  and 
Taberman  got  out,  and  then  the  men,  by  his  orders, 
worked  the  boat  into  concealment  between  the 
spiles  of  the  wharf,  there  to  await  further  orders, 
utterly  invisible  in  the  fog. 

The  two  arch-conspirators  mounted  the  wharf, 
and  for  some  time  kept  watch  to  see  if  any  one 
came  ashore  from  the  Merle ;  but  as  the  time 
wore  on  to  half-past  seven  they  concluded  that 
the  President  must  be  dining  on  board.  Assured 
of  this,  Jack  left  Jerry  to  keep  watch,  and  went  up 
to  the  village  bakery  for  food,  dinner  for  himself 
and  his  friend  having  been  forgotten  in  the  midst 


24  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

of  more  important  things.  Tab,  left  alone  in  the 
wet  darkness,  had  mounted  to  the  balcony,  and 
there  sat  in  gloomy  state,  wondering  if  Jack  were 
never  coming  back.  He  had  no  light  by  which  to 
see  his  watch,  but  since  he  had  heard  seven  bells 
from  the  Merle  he  felt  sure  that  eight  o'clock  must 
be  close  at  hand,  when  his  attention  was  caught  by 
the  sound  through  the  fog  of  the  quick  thud-thud^ 
thud-thud  of  oars  against  thole-pins.  In  an  instant 
he  was  thoroughly  alert,  his  senses  primitively 
acute,  and  his  growing  sensation  of  vague  depres 
sion  utterly  dispelled.  He  heard  some  one  pull 
hastily  to  the  "  FoVsle ;  "  the  muffled  chugging 
of  the  oar-blades  as  the  rower  held  water  ;  the 
gentle  slapping  of  the  boat's  wash  against  the  float; 
and  then  the  clatter  of  the  oars  on  the  thwarts. 
Then  by  the  dim  light  of  the  lantern  at  the  end 
of  the  pier  he  saw  a  man  spring  on  to  the  east 
float  and  secure  his  boat ;  give  a  quick,  nervous  tug 
at  the  painter  to  be  sure  that  it  was  fast,  and 
disappear  from  the  field  of  vision  which  was 
bounded  by  the  edge  of  the  sloping  roof.  He 
fancied  he  heard  a  murmur  as  if  the  newcomer 
spoke  a  word  of  encouragement  to  the  sailors  in 
damp  concealment  under  the  wharf,  and  then  had 
hardly  time  to  wonder  where  Jack  had  been  in  a 
boat,  before  Castleport  had  run  lightly  up  the 


THE  FOG  COMES  IN  25 

plank  from  the  float  to  the  pier,  and  thence  up  the 
steps  to  Tab's  place  of  concealment. 

"  Sit  tight !  "  whispered  Castleport  breathlessly. 

"  What 's  —  "  began  Jerry. 

"  Sh  !  We  Ve  the  chance  of  a  lifetime  !  I  — 
I  "  —  He  gasped  for  breath,  but  caught  it  with 
a  great  gulp,  and  hurried  on.  "  I  Ve  been  aboard, 
Tab !  Come  in,  man !  Get  back,  get  back ! " 
He  forced  his  friend  into  a  seat  in  the  farthest 
corner  of  the  little  balcony,  caught  his  breath 
again,  and  began  to  chuckle.  The  sound  of  oars 
was  again  audible, —  this  time  the  steady,  mea 
sured  stroke  of  a  heavy  boat  well  pulled. 

"  Here  's  Uncle  Randolph,"  cried  Jack  with  a 
sort  of  whispered  shout.  "  Here  's  Uncle  Ran 
dolph  !  "  And  seizing  his  friend  by  the  shoulders, 
he  shook  him  and  banged  his  head  noiselessly 
against  the  wall  for  sheer  glee. 

"  Stop,  Jacko,  stop  it !  Hold  up,  or  by  Jumbo 
I  '11  yell !  Look  there  !  Here  they  are." 

As  the  pair 'hurried  cautiously  to  lookout  over 
the  edge  of  the  balcony,  a  large  cutter,  pulled  by 
six  men,  came  out  of  the  fog  into  the  dim  illu 
mination  of  the  pier-light.  Three  gentlemen  in 
light  overcoats  were  visible  in  the  stern-sheets, 
the  one  in  the  middle  steering.  A  little  removed 
from  the  President  and  the  two  men  who  were 


26  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

evidently  his  guests,  sat  one  of  the  officers  of  the 
Merle. 

"  Way  enough,"  called  the  steersman  in  a  sharp 
voice. 

"  Oh,  my  aunt !  "  whispered  Tab,  giving  Jack 
a  nudge.  "  The  President  has  very  little  idea  that 
he  's  made  all  the  way  in  the  Merle  he  's  likely  to 
for  one  while." 

The  cutter  ran  smoothly  along  beside  the  float. 

"In  bows  !    Fend  off,  there  !  " 

At  the  word  the  oars  were  unshipped,  and  a 
couple  of  sailors  caught  the  rope  which  edged 
the  staging.  The  cutter  came  to  a  stop.  A  sea 
man  leaped  out  and  held  the  boat,  the  officer 
sprang  to  the  float  and  presented  an  arm  for  the 
President  and  his  guests  as  they  stepped  to  land. 

"  We  '11  be  down  at  eleven,"  the  President  said 
to  the  officer.  "  If  you  want  an  hour  or  two 
ashore,  there  's  some  sort  of  a  shindy  going  on 
opposite  the  post  office,  I  believe  —  dance  or 
something.  Mind  you  're  sharp  on  time  for  me, 
though." 

"All  right,  sir.  Eleven  o'clock  it  is,  sir,"  re 
turned  the  officer,  touching  his  cap  deferentially 
as  the  three  gentlemen  turned  away. 

"  Great  Scott ! "  cried  Jack  into  Tab's  ear  in 
an  excited  whisper.  "  Do  you  suppose  the  Presi- 


THE  FOG  COMES  IN  27 

dent 's  going  to  get  rid  of  all  those  men  for  me 
himself?  Was  ever  such  luck!  " 

The  boat  still  lay  at  the  landing.  The  men 
began  to  discuss  going  ashore,  and  every  word 
was  easily  audible  to  the  two  watchers  in  the 
balcony. 

"  I  vote  we  go,"  quoth  he  with  the  boat-hook. 
"  It  ain't  every  day  the  old  hunks  gives  us  a 
chance  to  stretch  a  leg  ashore." 

"  It  '11  be  dry,  Tom,"  spoke  up  one  in  the  boat. 
"Ye  won't  get  so  much  as  a  swig  o'  cider-water 
this  side  o'  Bar  Harbor." 

"  Well,  boys,  let 's  try  it,  anyhow,"  advised  the 
officer.  "  If  it 's  dry  there,  it 's  wet  enough  here." 

"  That 's  right,"  responded  another.  "  Damn 
yer  slops,  Bill,  ye  dude ;  the'  're  's  good  as  mine, 
an'  any  togs  is  good  enough  for  po'r  Jack.  Let 's 
go  ashore  an'  take  a  look  at  these  Thoryfare 
bewties." 

This  seemed  to  settle  it.  The  boat  was  made 
fast,  and  the  men  straggled  up  the  pier,  talking 
and  laughing  as  they  went. 

Tab  and  Jack  fairly  hugged  each  other  in  de 
light  at  this  development,  and  then  Jerry  opened 
fire. 

"You  said  you'd  been  aboard,"  he  began, 
"what"  — 


28  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

"  When  I  left  the  bakery,"  Jack  answered,  with 
out  waiting  for  the  question  to  be  finished,  "  I  said 
to  myself  that  the  fog  was  so  thick  it  would  be 
perfectly  safe  to  take  a  boat  and  row  out,  on  the 
chances  that  I  might  find  out  something.  I  meant 
to  get  astern  of  the  Merle  and  give  the  wind  a 
chance  to  bring  me  some  of  the  talk  aboard.  I 
borrowed  a  little  pea-pod  from  the  pier  behind 
Staples',  and  out  I  went.  When  I  got  to  the 
yacht,  I  found  I  could  lay  alongside,  for  there 
was  n't  a  soul  on  deck.  I  hauled  off"  my  jacket 
and  hung  it  over  the  boat's  side  for  a  fender,  so 
she  would  n't  make  any  noise,  and  took  the  painter 
in  my  fist.  Then  I  stood  on  the  thwart  and 
jumped  for  the  rail  on  the  port  side." 

"  You  'd  have  made  the  devil  of  a  mess  if  you  'd 
missed  it,"  commented  Jerry. 

"  But  I  did  n't.  I  got  hold,  but,  Gad,  I  came 
near  going  overboard  !  " 

He  stopped  to  laugh,  this  time  fearlessly  aloud, 
while  Jerry  chuckled. 

"  I  lay  flat  along  the  bulwark,"  Jack  went  on, 
"  by  the  main  rigging.  The  skylight-covers  were 
on,  of  course,  but  the  frames  were  half  up,  and  I 
could  get  scraps  of  the  talk  in  the  cabin.  The  men 
Uncle  Randolph  's  got  along  with  him  are  old 
Melford  and  Tom  Bardale.  I  thought  I  'd  die  to 


THE  FOG  COMES  IN  29 

hear  them  go  on.  Old  Melford  was  grumbling 
away,  —  he  's  always  an  awful  croaker,  you  know. 
He  piped  up  once,  and  said  it  was  just  his  luck 
to  have  to  suffer  both  fog  and  bridge  when  he 
came  for  solid  cruising.  Uncle  Randolph  and  Bar- 
dale  both  poo-poohed  him,  and  asked  him  if  he  'd 
rather  play  slap-jack.  The  old  boys  are  going  to 
play  bridge  somewhere,  —  I  did  n't  find  out  where, 
but  it  does  n't  matter ;  they  're  settled,  anyway.  I 
did  n't  hear  anything  else,  for  I  'd  hardly  time  to 
drop  into  the  pea-pod  and  get  out  of  the  way  of 
the  men  from  the  fo'c'sle  that  came  out  to  haul 
in  the  cutter  on  the  boat-boom.  I  rushed  ashore 
as  tight  as  I  could  pelt,  and  you  saw  the  rest. 
This  dance  business,  too  !  Luck  's  with  us  !  " 

He  stopped,  all  but  breathless.  With  one  ac 
cord  the  pair  started  for  the  stairs,  and  took  their 
way  to  the  pier,  where  the  lantern  made  a  dim  and 
watery  illumination  in  the  midst  of  the  fog.  Cas- 
tleport  seized  Jerry  by  the  arm  and  led  him  to  the 
edge  of  the  pier. 

"  With  this  wind,"  he  said  with  great  earnest- 

'  O 

ness,  "  we  'd  best  run  out  to  the  westward,  and 
beat  along  the  south  of  Vinal  Haven.  We  '11 
have  more  sea-room,  and  with  the  weather  as  thick 
as  this,  I  don't  deny  that  even  that 's  risky 
enough." 


30  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

"  It  is  a  nasty  night,"  Taberman  assented  with 
emphasis.  "  Are  you  for  going  outside  Wooden 
Ball  Island  ? " 

"  Tell  that  when  we  've  got  by  Dogfish  and  the 
rest  of  'em,"  replied  Jack  briefly.  "  I  mean  to 
leave  that  to  Dave,  anyhow." 

"  You  're  dead  sure  you  want  to  do  it,  old 
man  ?  "  queried  Tab  with  the  air  of  one  who  would 
not  have  asked  the  question  had  he  not  been 
confident  that  the  answer  would  be  in  the  affir 
mative. 

"  I  'd  do  it  ten  times  over  just  for  the  lark  !  '* 
snorted  Jack.  "  Now  then  —  business  !  " 

They  descended  the  ladder  to  the  eastern  float, 
and  Castleport  called  out  guardedly  to  the  men 
who  had  all  this  time  been  lying  concealed  in  the 
market-boat  under  the  wharf.  A  slight  bumping, 
a  muttered  oath,  the  rattle  of  an  oar  on  the 
thwart,  arid  then  the  nose  of  the  boat  emerged 
from  beneath  the  pier.  A  vigorous  thrust  with 
the  boat-hook  against  one  of  the  outer  stringers 
shot  her  up  alongside  the  float. 

"  All  right  ?  "  inquired  Jack. 

A  stoutly  built  man  of  short  stature  standing  in 
the  bow  of  the  boat  answered. 

"  Right  enough,  sir ;  but  a  mite  holler." 

"  Well,  Dave,  we  '11  fix  that  in  a  spell,"  said 


THE  FOG  COMES  IN  31 

Jack.  "  We  Ve  got  a  bit  to  do  first,  though. 
Let 's  have  your  watch,  Tab." 

He  pulled  out  his  own  as  he  spoke,  and  took 
Jerry's  with  it  in  one  hand.  Then  with  the  other 
hand  he  struck  a  match,  which  he  craftily  shel 
tered  from  the  wind. 

"  You  're  a  minute  fast  of  me,  Jerry,"  he  com 
mented,  throwing  away  the  match  and  returning 
the  watch.  "  I  say  eight  seventeen,  and  you  say 
eight  eighteen.  You  and  Jim  take  the  market-boat 
and  go  over  to  the  other  float.  Take  the  Merle's 
cutter  and  tow  her  out  to  one  of  the  moorings  off 
the  club  here.  At  eight  forty-eight  sharp, — just 
half  an  hour,  —  you  hail  the  Merle.  Sing  out 
like  the  deuce,  and  tell  'em  to  send  a  boat  ashore. 
I  '11  see  that  they  send  one,  and  that  when  they  've 
left  there  '11  be  nobody  aboard  but  me.  In  about 
fifteen  minutes  from  now  a  boat  '11  come  ashore, 
but  you  need  n't  mind  her.  Dave  '11  look  out  for 
that  business.  Just  you  pick  out  some  mooring 
a  bit  to  windward  of  the  direct  line  between  the 
yacht  and  the  Casino,  so  they  shan't  spot  you. 
When  you  hear  a  boat  coming  in  answer  to  your 
hail,  you  come  out  yourselves,  and  tow  the  cutter. 
That  you  're  to  make  fast  astern  the  Merle.  Got 
it  all  clear?" 

"  I  guess  so,"  Jerry  answered.    "  I  don't  notice 


32  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

a  boat  till  eight  forty-eight ;  then  I  hail,  and  when 
I  hear  a  boat  coming  in  answer  I  cut  out  to  the 
Merle.  Give  me  some  matches  to  see  the  time 
with.  Well,  good  luck,  old  man ;  be  sharp,  or 
you  '11  dish  the  whole  game." 

With  this  parting  caution  Taberman  stepped 
into  the  market-boat,  while  Dave  got  out.  Oars 
were  not  needed,  but  Jerry  and  the  sailor  easily 
pulled  the  market-boat  around  by  the  spiles  to 
the  other  float,  where  they  lay  concealed  in  the 
rolling  fog. 

"Now  then,  Dave,"  Jack  said  as  they  disap 
peared,  "  you  and  I  are  the  ones  that  are  going  to 
open  this  ball.  You  take  me  out,  set  me  aboard 
just  as  if  you  did  that  sort  of  thing  regularly, — 
do  you  see  ?  As  if  I  'd  paid  you  a  quarter  for  set 
ting  me  aboard,  you  know.  Then  you  row  back. 
Here  's  a  boat  that  '11  do,"  he  broke  off,  pointing 
to  a  small  Whitehall  boat  made  fast  to  the  staging. 
"  Get  in,  and  pull  me  out." 

The  pair  stepped  into  the  little  craft,  and  when 
Dave  began  rowing  Jack  continued  his  instructions. 

"  When  you  get  back  to  the  float,"  he  said, 
"  you  just  make  this  boat  fast,  and  hide  under  the 
shadow  of  those  stairs  on  the  outside  of  the 
Casino  —  you  know?" 

"Yes,  sir." 


THE  FOG  COMES  IN  33 

"  Wait  for  a  boat  from  the  yacht  with  three  or 
four  men  in  it.  —  Pull  on  your  port  oar  a  bit  ; 
that 's  good.  —  When  they  get  ashore  and  go  up 
the  wharf,  you  take  their  tender  and  rush  her  out 
to  a  mooring  same  as  Mr.  Taberman  's  done.  Do 
you  see  ?  " 

"  Guess  so,  sir,"  was  Dave's  response.  "  Do 
you  want  me  to  catch  the  same  one  ? " 

"  Any  one  '11  do,  provided  it  won't  be  seen  by 
a  boat  pulling  ashore  from  the  Merle.  You  won't 
have  to  go  far  to  hide  in  this  fog.  —  Little  stronger 
on  your  port  oar  again ;  tide 's  cutting  you  down.  — 
When  you  hear  Mr.  Taberman  hailing,  you  stand 
by,  and  as  soon  as  a  boat  goes  by  in  answer,  you 
pull  out  to  the  yacht  and  make  fast  astern.  Give 
her  plenty  of  painter  ;  all  she  's  got.  Do  you  see 
now  ?  " 

"  I  guess  I  do,  sir.  You  're  going  to  have  a 
boat  on  every  davit  that  way,  ain't  you,  sir  ? " 

"If  it  works,"  Jack  answered  in  a  low  voice, 
for  they  were  now  under  the  yacht's  port  quarter. 

Dave  pulled  around  in  silence  to  the  steps  on 
the  starboard  side. 

"  Here  we  are,  sir,"  he  said  in  an  even  tone  as 
he  caught  at  the  ladder  grating. 

The  Merle,  dimly  visible  by  the  foggy  glow  of 
her  riding-light,  was  pitching  slightly  in  the  chop, 


34  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

and  the  small  dinghy  bobbed  up  and  down  beside 
her  like  a  cork  beside  a  floating  spar.  The  waves 
slapped  against  the  yacht's  sheer,  wetting  her  top- 
sides  with  spray  and  poppling  away  merrily  under 
her  counter.  In  the  thick  dimness  her  masts 
loomed  up  almost  supernaturally  tall. 

"  Hello  aboard  the  Merle,"  shouted  Castleport. 

"  Hello  ?  "  answered  a  voice  from  forward,  and 
in  a  moment  a  tall,  burly  figure  appeared  on  deck 
by  the  ladder. 

"What  is  it?"  asked  the  tall  man.  "What 
d'  you  want  ?  " 

"  Hello,  Camper,"  cried  Jack,  recognizing  the 
voice  as  that  of  his  uncle's  sailing-master.  "  Hello, 
Camper,  don't  you  know  me  ? " 

He  sprang  up  the  steps  and  gained  the  deck. 

"  Why,  Mr.  Castleport,"  the  skipper  cried  in 
a  hearty  tone,  "  whatever  are  you  doin'  here  ? 
Thought  you  was  over  to  the  Island.  How  are 
you,  sir  ? " 

"  Cold,"  Jack  answered  with  a  laugh.  "  How  's 
yourself?  Fit  as  usual,  I  suppose.  President 
aboard  ?  " 

"  No,  sir.  He  's  gone  ashore  to  some  sort  of  a 
gatherin'.  I  never  thought  to  see  you  here,  sir." 

"  Oh,  I  came  over  to  join  the  yacht  here.  I  got 
tired  of  waiting.  I  shan't  want  you  any  longer," 


THE  FOG  COMES  IN  35 

he  called  down  to  the  figure  in  the  dinghy  below. 
"  Much  obliged." 

The  dinghy  and  Dave  melted  into  the  black 
ness  of  the  night. 

"  Come  below,  Mr.  Castleport,  sir.  You  '11 
have  a  bracer  ? "  the  genial  sailing-master  asked. 
"  Nasty  night,  ain't  it  ?  " 

"  It  is  that,"  Jack  agreed,  "but  I'm  in  hopes 
there  '11  be  a  change  soon." 

And  smiling  at  the  thought  how  truly  the  words 
expressed  his  secret  intent,  he  followed  the  worthy 
Camper  below. 


Chapter  Three 

IT    BLOWS    SOUTHEAST 

THE  saloon  of  the  Merle  was  a  spacious  cabin, 
paneled  in  Cuban  cedar.  Along  both  sides  ran 
transoms  cushioned  in  dark  green  corduroy,  which 
contrasted  pleasantly  with  the  red  of  the  wood 
work.  On  either  side  of  the  companion-way  were 
big  closets,  the  doors  of  which,  framing  large 
mirrors,  opened  forward  against  the  after  ends  of 
the  transoms.  Both  to  port  and  to  starboard 
the  cabin  was  lined  with  lockers  for  flags,  charts, 
and  bottles,  except  where  the  recessed  bookcases 
came  in  the  middle.  Large  nickeled  Argand  lamps 
to  port  and  starboard  on  the  for'ard  bulkhead 
illuminated  the  interior.  Sheathed  in  cedar, 
the  butt  of  the  schooner's  mainmast  stood  in  the 
fore  part  of  the  saloon  ;  and  aft  from  it  ran  a 
mahogany  table  around  which  were  placed  some 
comfortable-looking  chairs.  All  in  all,  the  im 
pression  of  power  and  grace  which  one  received 
from  regarding  the  outside  of  the  Merle  was 
equaled  by  the  feeling  of  comfort,  and,  indeed, 


IT  BLOWS  SOUTHEAST  37 

almost  of  luxury,  one  had  upon  viewing  her  below 
decks. 

It  was  in  this  pleasant  retreat  that  Jack  had 
settled  himself  in  less  than  a  minute  after  his  ar 
rival  on  the  yacht.  The  good  skipper,  who  had 
kept  an  almost  fatherly  eye  on  the  youth  ever 
since  he  was  old  enough  to  "  fist  a  rope,"  sat  un 
easily  on  the  edge  of  the  divan  on  the  port  side. 
Jack,  sprawled  out  on  the  opposite  transom,  lit  a 
cigarette,  and  looked  up  at  the  skylight. 

"  My  aunt !  But  I  'm  glad  to  be  aboard  again," 
he  declared.  "How  is  everything?  What  sort 
of  a  run  down  did  you  have  ?  " 

"  Pretty  fair,  sir,"  returned  the  master.  "  We 
went  to  Marblehead,  and  then  to  Portsmouth. 
Mr.  Drake,  he  spent  the  time  in  seeing  his  friends. 
Then  we  run  to  Portland,  and  then  to  Boothbay. 
We  run  in  here  yesterday.  Nothin'  much  to  tell 
of  on  the  cruise." 

"  You  've  made  schedule  time,"  Jack  com 
mented.  "  You  are  here  just  when  you  were  due." 

"  Yes,  we  got  here,"  Camper  assented,  "  though 
't  one  time,  when  I  see  the  stores  that  had  to 
come  aboard,  I  doubted  if  we  should  get  started 
for  a  week." 

"  More  stores  than  usual  ?  "  queried  Jack,  with 
a  little  spark  of  interest  in  his  eye. 


38  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

"Well,  Mr.  Drake,  he  'lowed  that  last  year 
when  we  got  becalmed  down  the  coast  some  of 
the  provisions  fell  short,  and  he  vowed  he  'd 
never  get  caught  in  that  shape  again  ;  so  this  time 
he  's  stocked  up  fit  to  do  the  Nor'west  Passage. 
He  's  got  every  kind  of  a  thing  to  eat  that  man 
ever  put  into  tins,  you  may  bet  your  life." 

"  Trust  him  to  have  an  eye  to  the  galley," 
laughed  Jack,  reflecting  how  satisfactory  a  comple 
ment  to  the  plain  provisions  waiting  at  the  Island 
would  be  this  extensive  assortment  of  choice  eat 
ables.  "  Well,  I  'm  for  sleeping  aboard.  Can  you 
give  me  a  lift  with  my  luggage  ?  " 

Everything  he  had  said  since  he  came  on  board 
had  been  preliminary  to  this.  His  one  chance  of 
getting  the  sailing-master  to  a  safe  distance  lay  in 
inducing  Camper  to  go  ashore  on  an  errand.  To 
this  question  the  skipper  replied,  Yankee  fashion, 
with  another. 

"  Where  is  it,  sir  ?  " 

"Go  to  Mullin's  and  tell  'em  you're  from  me; — 
you  'd  better  do  it  yourself,  Camper  ;  —  and  get 
them  to  give  you  a  steamer-trunk  and  two  bags.  Do 
you  know  the  place  ?  It 's  the  only  boarding-house 
there  is  in  the  village.  Anybody  can  tell  you." 

"  I  know  it,  sir.  'Bout  a  cable's  length  up  the 
road." 


IT  BLOWS  SOUTHEAST  39 

"  Yes  ;  that 's  it.  I  don't  think  you  '11  find  the 
trunk  heavy,"  Jack  went  on,  with  a  secret  inclina 
tion  to  speak  very  fast  and  a  consciousness  that 
he  must  appear  cool  and  deliberate.  "  Of  course 
you  '11  take  a  couple  of  men  to  tote  it,  but  I  don't 
like  to  send  an  ordinary  seaman  up  there." 

He  wondered  what  he  should  reply  if  asked  why 
not ;  but  Camper,  who  had  long  been  trained 
under  President  Drake  to  habits  of  unquestioning 
obedience,  replied  with  perfect  simplicity  :  — 

"  All  right,  sir,  I  '11  have  it  aboard  in  half  an 
hour.  Your  old  stateroom  's  all  ready,  I  believe. 
You  just  ring  for  the  steward  if  you  want  anything, 
sir." 

"  Thanks,"  responded  Jack,  taking  a  book  from 
its  place  as  he  spoke,  as  if  with  the  intention  of 
settling  himself  to  read. 

Camper  withdrew,  and  Jack  listened  eagerly  till 
he  heard  footsteps  on  the  deck,  the  rattle  of  the 
davit-tackle,  the  splash  of  the  boat  alongside,  and 
then  the  rhythm  of  receding  oars.  The  moment  he 
was  sure  of  not  being  seen  by  the  skipper  he  closed 
his  book  with  a  bang,  flung  it  on  the  table,  looked 
at  his  watch,  and  went  hurriedly  on  deck.  In  the 
lee  of  the  mainmast  he  paused  to  light  a  fresh 
cigarette,  and  then  began  untying  the  cover  of  the 
mainsail,  loosening  the  points  and  pulling  them 


40  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

through  the  grommets.  As  he  worked  his  way  aft, 
he  suddenly  thought  he  heard  the  sound  of  oars. 
He  stopped  to  make  sure  :  there  could  be  no  doubt 
of  it ;  some  one  was  pulling  toward  the  Merle.  In 
a  flash  Jack  saw  his  scheme  ruined  in  any  one  of 
a  thousand  ways.  He  set  his  teeth  and  ran  over 
rapidly  in  his  head  the  possibilities,  but  without 
reaching  any  satisfactory  conclusion.  Then  he 
walked  aft,  and  putting  his  hands  on  the  rail,  bent 
over  the  yacht's  port  quarter  and  peered  into  the 
fog.  With  a  feeling  of  relief  he  realized  from  the 
sound  and  time  of  the  strokes  that  the  approaching 
boat  was  a  small  one,  and  was  pulled  by  one  pair 
of  oars  only.  He  had  hardly  decided  this  when 
he  discerned  the  cause  of  his  alarm,  and  almost 
laughed  to  see  nothing  more  formidable  than  a 
small  pea-pod,  pulled  by  a  boy.  The  rower  came 
alongside  and  rested  on  his  oars,  while  Jack 
watched  him  curiously. 

"  Is  that  Mr.  Drake's  vessel?"  inquired  the  boy. 

"  Yes,"  Jack  returned.   "  What 's  wanted  ?  " 

"  The  postmaster  said  'f  I  'd  bring  ye  these 
letters  ye  'd  give  me  a  quarter,"  replied  the  youth 
ful  oarsman. 

"  Mr.  Drake  is  n't  aboard  now,"  said  Jack. 

"  Well,  ye  c'n  give  me  my  quarter  jes'  the 
same,"  the  boy  rejoined.  "  I  '11  let  ye  hev  the  let- 


IT  BLOWS  SOUTHEAST  41 

ters,  'n'  he  '11  make  it  right  with  ye  later.  He  lef' 
word  this  evenin'  for  his  mail  to  be  brung  him 
every  time  it  come,  an'  't  was  that  foggy  the  Sylvy 
got  in  late  from  Rocklan',  'n'  I  could  n't  get  roun' 
to  bring  it  out  before.  'Twan't  sorted  till  after 
Mr.  Staples  hed  his  supper." 

"  All  right,"  Jack  said  hastily.  "  Come  along 
side." 

He  feared  to  create  suspicion,  and  felt  that  the 
only  thing  to  do  at  the  moment  was  to  get  rid  of 
the  boy.  He  gave  the  youth  a  quarter,  and  took 
the  letters  in  exchange,  mentally  saying  to  himself 
that  he  hoped  they  were  not  of  importance.  The 
boy  went  pulling  away  as  if  in  most  unusual  ela 
tion,  and  Castleport,  thrusting  the  letters  into  the 
breast  pocket  of  his  coat,  returned  to  his  work. 
He  had  not  quite  finished  untying  the  points  when 
he  heard  Jerry's  hail  from  the  mooring. 

"  Merle,  ahoy  !  Ho-ro  aboard  the  Merle  !  " 
came  booming  through  the  fog  in  Taberman's 
most  stentorian  tones. 

Jack  placed  himself  in  the  companion-way  as  if 
just  emerging  from  the  cabin,  and  waited  for  an 
other  hail. 

"  Merle  ahoy  !  Aho-o-o-y  aboard  the  Merle!  " 
again  rang  through  the  thick  night  above  the  sound 
of  the  wind,  the  water,  and  the  cordage. 


42  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

"  Hallo-o-o  !  "  bawled  back  Castleport. 

"  Send  .  .  .  boat  .  .  .  ashore  !  "  came  the  voice. 

Jerry  was  apparently  able  to  outroar  all  the 
bulls  of  Bashan,  and  was  doing  his  worst. 

"  Aye  —  oh  !  "  Jack  yelled  in  reply,  and  walked 
quickly  forward. 

The  steward  had  heard  the  rumpus,  and  was 
standing  in  the  forecastle  companion.  Capless, 
and  wearing  his  white  jacket,  he  gaped  about  like 
a  quizzical  seal. 

"  Some  one  hailing  from  the  shore,"  said  Jack 
shortly  ;  "  want  a  boat.  Don't  know  what  you  '11 
take  unless  you  go  in  the  longboat.  Tell  the  men." 

"  Beg  pardon,  sir ;  there  's  only  me  and  the 
cook  and  two  hands  aboard.  It  '11  take  us  all  to 
pull  the  longboat." 

The  steward  had  a  slow,  exasperating  whine 
which  always  irritated  Jack. 

"  Then  you  '11  have  to  take  an  oar,"  Jack  re 
sponded  roughly.  "  There  's  some  one  ashore  wait 
ing,  and  I  said  I  'd  send  a  boat.  Get  a  move  on. 
I  '11  watch  ship." 

The  steward  went  below  grumbling,  but  soon 
reappeared  with  the  cook  and  the  two  hands. 
With  some  delay  they  got  off  in  the  longboat, 
pulling  wretchedly  toward  the  shore  and  nagging 
at  each  other.  As  he  stepped  t&  the  foot  of  the 


IT  BLOWS  SOUTHEAST  43 

mainmast  to  take  the  halyards  off  the  pins,  Jack 
fervently  thanked  his  stars  for  the  heaviness  of 
the  boat  and  the  evident  fact  that  both  cook  and 
steward  were  hopeless  duffers  with  an  oar.  He 
cleared  the  halyards  with  nervous  fingers,  stripped 
off  the  cover  of  the  mainsail,  and  undid  the 
canvas  stops  with  which  it  was  furled.  Then  he 
turned  to  the  headsails,  and  had  all  clear  before 
his  ear  again  caught  the  sound  of  oars.  He  ran 
aft,  and  called  out  guardedly.  Dave's  voice  an 
swered  him,  and  then  he  heard  Taberman  urging 
his  companion  to  quicken  his  stroke.  In  the  mist 
Castleport  could  dimly  distinguish  the  heavy  boats 
slowly  nearing  the  yacht.  It  was  all  the  men  could 
do  to  get  them  alongside  and  make  them  fast 
astern.  Once  this  was  accomplished,  all  hands 
turned  eagerly  to  the  still  harder  labor  of  getting 
the  Merle  under  weigh. 

o 

"Jim,"  ordered  Castleport,  "skip  along  for'ard 
and  take  down  that  riding-light.  Set  it  on  deck 
so  it  won't  show  out-board.  Dave,  you  get  up 
the  boat-boom.  Haul  it  right  up,  'thout  minding 
the  guys  !  Lively,  now  !  " 

As  Dave  and  Jim  hurried  forward  to  execute 
these  orders,  Jack  himself  stepped  aft,  took  off 
the  binnacle-cover,  and  got  the  lamps  lit  and  in 
their  places. 


44  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

"  All  hands  for'ard  on  the  anchor  !  "  he  sang 
out,  rapping  his  shins  on  the  cockpit  combings  as 
he  scrambled  out  and  ran  along  the  deck.  "We  '11 
make  sail  when  we  get  out  the  mudhook.  'F  we 
try  to  get  her  mains'l  up_,  they  '11  hear  us  all  over 
the  place.  We  '11  drop  down  under  heads'ls.  Catch 
ahold  there ! " 

The  Merle  was  riding  at  her  port  bower  in 
some  six  fathoms  of  water.  She  had  out  a  good 
bit  of  scope,  however,  and  between  the  eight 
hands  which  gripped  the  quarter-inch  chain  and 
the  anchor  to  which  it  was  bent  were  some  ten 
fathoms  to  be  "  handed  over."  In  the  light  of  the 
big  Fresnel  anchor-lantern  upon  the  deck,  the 
men,  silent,  rigid,  braced  back,  strained  steadily. 
For  a  full  half-minute  there  was  no  gain  whatever, 
but  then  one  link  of  the  chain  came  to  the  brazen 
lip  of  the  hawse-hole  with  a  sharp  rap.  The  men 
grunted  and  hissed,  bringing  every  muscle  into 
play.  Taberman  was  foremost  on  the  chain.  He 
faced  the  hawse-hole  squarely,  his  legs  wide  apart, 
and  his  head  thrown  back.  His  face,  even  as  seen 
by  the  white  light  of  the  Fresnel,  was  a  dark 
brick-red,  and  out  of  the  left  corner  of  his  mouth 
his  tongue  protruded.  Dave  was  behind  him,  his 
left  knee  bent,  and  his  right  leg  straight  from  toe 
to  hip.  He  hung  on  savagely,  his  face  unnaturally 


IT  BLOWS  SOUTHEAST  45 

blank  ;  his  hair,  damp  with  fog  and  sweat,  clung  to 
his  brown  forehead  and  temples.  The  third  man 
was  Jim,  lying  back  in  a  strange  posture,  as  though 
the  small  of  his  back  were  invisibly  supported. 
His  cheeks  were  white;  his  breathing  was  inau 
dible. 

With  a  little  salvo  of  metallic  snaps  a  scant 
dozen  links  more  came  in.  Jack  was  last  on  the 
chain,  and  was  separated  from  the  man  next  him 
by  a  space  greater  than  that  between  any  other 
pair,  so  that  he  could  when  necessary  take  a  turn 
of  the  slack  about  one  of  the  brass-capped  bol 
lards  at  his  side.  His  body  was  tense  and  rigid, 
his  face  and  forehead  full  of  odd  puckers  and 
lines.  He  was  white  at  the  lips,  and  the  corners 
of  his  mouth  were  drawn  down.  His  nose  moved 
nervously  with  almost  the  suggestion  of  a  rabbit's. 
One  more  link  came  in. 

"  Better  take  it  on  the  winch,"  gasped  Jerry. 

"  Damn  it,  —  pull !  "  cried  Jack. 

Jim  grunted  and  Dave  drew  a  breath  through 
his  closed  teeth  with  a  sharp  whistling  sound.  Sud 
denly  the  chain  rattled  in  so  quickly  that  they  could 
almost  over-hand  it.  The  Merle  was  moving  at 
last. 

"  Smartly  !  "  Jack  cried.  "  Smartly,  and  we  '11 
make  her  trip  it  out  herself." 


46  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

The  four  hauled  lustily. 

"  Nigh  up  and  down,"  called  Jerry. 

Jack  threw  a  couple  of  bights  of  the  chain  over 
the  bollard,  and  held  it.  The  big  yacht  forged  ahead 
slowly  into  the  eye  of  the  wind,  carried  along  by 
the  impetus  given  her  by  the  handing  of  the  chain. 
The  bits  creaked  a  little,  the  chain  grew  very  taut 
and  vibrant.  The  Merle  checked  up  and  began  to 
drift  back. 

"  Now  then  !  "  cried  Jack.    "  Lay  along  !  " 

Each  one  of  them  grasped  the  chain  with  a  fierce 
vigor,  as  a  man  might  seize  the  throat  of  his  enemy, 
while  Jerry  burst  into  an  explosive  whaling  chantey, 
and  the  men  fell  into  time  with  its  rhythm. 

"  Haul  the  bowline,  the  bowline,  the  bowline; 
Haul  the  bowline,  the  bowline,  —  Haul!" 

"  Here  she  comes  !  "  he  shouted  in  the  midst 
of  a  stave,  as,  all  at  once,  the  anchor  was  broken 
out. 

Jack  dropped  his  end  of  the  chain  and  ran  aft 
to  mind  the  wheel,  leaving  the  men  to  take  in  the 
rest  of  the  slack.  The  headsails  were  up  in  stops, 
but  before  breaking  them  out  it  was  necessary  to 
lay  the  yacht  round  on  the  port  tack.  As  she  was 
under  sternway,  Jack  whirled  the  spokes  over  to 
port,  and  so  —  for  her  steering-gear  was  "  balanced  " 
—  brought  her  head  around  to  the  southward. 


IT  BLOWS  SOUTHEAST  47 

When  he  felt  the  wind  on  his  left  cheek,  he  put  his 
hand  to  his  mouth  and  shouted. 

"  Break  out  fore-staysail !  "  he  bellowed.  "  Trim 
it  a-weather  !  —  Hang  on  to  the  weather-sheet  till 
she  falls  well  off!  " 

With  a  great  slatting  and  booming  of  canvas  the 
schooner  payed  off  rapidly. 

"  Catch  on  to  that  port  sheet  there  !  "  shouted 
Jack.  "  Port,  I  say,  port !  Make  fast !  Not  too 
flat !  Give  her  all  she  '11  use  !  " 

The  Merle  was  now  moving  slowly  before  the 
wind. 

"  Break  out  the  jibs,"  ordered  Jack,  "  both 
jibs  !  That 's  good.  Make  fast !  " 

The  wind  had  so  freshened  that  the  yacht  began 
to  move  in  earnest.  At  this  juncture  voices,  faint 
but  frantic,  were  heard  hailing  from  astern. 

"  Merle  ahoy  !  Ahoy-oy-oy  !  Show  —  light ! 
A-hoy-oy-oy  -  -  'board  the  Merle  ! " 

"  Hear  the  steward  ?  "  called  Jack  to  Jerry,  who 
was  at  work  with  the  head-sheet  cleats. 

"  Hear  him  !  "  laughed  Jerry.  "  His  music's  a 
merry  send-off." 

"  Ahoy-oy-oy  !  "  came  the  voice  again,  fainter 
and  full  of  a  dismayed  distress  that  made  them  both 
break  out  afresh  into  derisive  laughter.  "  Ahoy ! 
Anchor!  An-chor  —  Anch  "  — 


48  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

The  despairing  wail  died  away  on  the  freshening 
wind. 

"  Hope  they  won't  poke  round  in  the  fog  all 
night  looking  for  the  Merle,"  Jack  said  gayly.  "  I 
never  did  like  that  steward,  though." 

A  moment  or  two  later,  as  the  yacht  was  near- 
ing  the  entrance  of  the  Thoroughfare,  Jack  called 
for  Dave.  The  man  came  aft. 

"  See  here,  Dave,"  Castleport  asked,  suddenly 
grown  grave  ;  "  we  've  got  more  weather  than  we 
counted  on.  Can  you  pilot  this  yacht  round  Vinal 
Haven  in  this  fog?  " 

"  Reck'n  I  kin,  sir,"  Dave  replied  with  pleasing 
assurance.  "  Man  and  boy  I  've  worked  round 
these  shores  twelve  years." 

"  Very  well,  then,  —  come  down  here  and  take 
her.  Her  gear 's  balanced  :  put  the  wheel  over 
same  way  you  want  to  swing  her  head.  She 's 
quick  as  a  flash.  If  you  want  the  chart"  — 

But  Dave  shook  his  head  with  a  grin. 

"Well,  anyhow,"  said  Jack,  turning  to  leave 
him,  "  there  's  your  compass." 

"That  don't  bother  me  none,"  replied  the 
intrepid  Dave,  with  a  glance  at  once  scornful 
and  defiant  at  the  smart  binnacle.  "  I  go  mos' 
gin'rally  by  the  smell,"  he  added  by  way  of  expla 
nation. 


IT  BLOWS  SOUTHEAST  49 

"  All  right,"  laughed  Jack.  "  Handle  her  care 
fully." 

"  One  thing,  sir,  —  how  much  does  she  draw  ?  " 

"  Twelve  feet,"  returned  Jack. 

Then  he  stepped  up  on  to  the  deck,  and  the 
Merle  sped  on  into  the  black  night. 


Chapter  Four 

IT    BLOWS    NORTHWEST 

WITH  Dave  as  her  Palinurus  the  Merle  ran  down 
the  wind  until  she  was  well  outside  the  western 
entrance  to  the  Thoroughfare.  The  headsails  were 
then  dropped,  the  yacht  was  put  into  the  wind, 
and  the  mainsail  was  hoisted.  The  foresail  was 
left  furled,  as  the  wind  had  freshened  considerably, 
and  the  schooner  started  on  a  southerly  course  on 
the  port  tack. 

How  Dave  knew  where  he  was  or  by  what 
subtle  instinct  he  was  moved  to  give  the  Merle 
now  a  spoke  or  two  to  starboard  or  again  to  port, 
were  mysteries  as  insoluble  as  complex.  Taber- 
man  was  lost  in  wonder  at  Dave's  cool  assurance ; 
but  to  Jack,  who  knew  of  old  the  marvelous  way 
in  which  the  local  fishermen  handle  their  craft  in 
the  fog,  the  helmsman's  skill,  if  wonderful,  was  yet 
no  new  thing. 

The  beat  to  the  Island  was  not,  however,  with 
out  incident.  Twice,  as  they  were  tacking  about 


IT  BLOWS  NORTHWEST          51 

in  the  thick  fog,  they  ran  close  to  wicked  ledges  over 
which  the  slow  seas  just  rolled  without  breaking. 
At  another  point  they  came  about  just  in  time 
to  avoid  going  ashore  against  a  precipitous  cliff 
which  loomed  high  in  the  mist.  Near  the  end  of 
the  run  they  worked  into  some  shoal  water  where 
the  uneasy  heave  and  thrust  of  the  sea  made  the 
schooner  reel  and  stagger  madly,  while  all  about 
them  was  the  thunder  of  unseen  breakers.  But 
in  each  and  every  peril  Dave  kept  his  head  com 
pletely  and  brought  the  Merle  through  in  safety. 
The  passage  was  a  busy  one.  Three  times  they 
luffed  up  in  open  water,  and  each  time  took  a  boat 
aboard.  It  was  a  difficult  —  almost  a  perilous  — 
operation,  but  the  night  was  flying  and  the  boats 
dragged  heavily.  The  foresail  was  made  ready  for 
hoisting,  a  reef  being  tucked  into  it  without  its 
being  raised.  The  port  bower  was  taken  aboard ; 
lanterns  were  got  ready  against  the  work  which 
was  to  be  done  at  the  Island ;  a  careful  survey 
was  made  of  the  places  available  for  stowage. 
Jack  and  Taberman  made  a  list  of  the  men,  as 
signed  watches  and  berths.  They  agreed  that 
Gonzague,  as  cook,  steward,  and  general  major- 
domo,  should  have  to  himself  the  little  cabin  for 
merly  occupied  by  the  steward.  To  the  men  they 
gave  the  berths  of  the  old  crew ;  and  in  general 


52  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

arranged  everything  for  the  ocean  voyage  which 
had  been  left  for  adjustment  until  they  should  be 
actually  on  board.  The  personal  effects  of  the 
President,  his  guests,  the  officers  and  the  crew, 
they  made  ready  to  leave  at  the  Island. 

"  How  about  clothes  for  the  men  ?  "  Taberman 
asked.  "  I  never  thought  of  that ;  and  we  should 
look  like  the  deuce  with  a  crew  in  fishermen's  rigs. 
The  police  of  any  harbor  in  the  world  would  be 
after  us." 

"  The  uniforms  belong  to  the  yacht,"  Jack 
answered.  "  They  are  cut  for  the  crew,  but  the 
men  never  own  them." 

"  Do  you  suppose  those  poor  devils'  traps  will 
be  safe  at  the  Island  ?  " 

"  Safe  as  in  a  church." 

"But  how '11  they  get  'em?" 

"  Oh,  by  nine  o'clock  to-morrow  morning  the 
President  will  be  on  his  way  to  the  Island  if  he 
has  to  buy  the  Sylvia  to  go  on.  Camper '11  tell  him 
I  ran  away  with  the  Merle,  and  he  '11  start  to  the 
Island  to  find  me  or  get  track." 

So  they  talked  until,  about  two  in  the  morning, 
the  yacht  ran  past  Hardwood  Island,  hauled  her 
wind,  and  worked  along  to  the  southeast.  Sud 
denly  through  the  fog  a  dull  red  gleam  showed  on 
the  weather  bow. 


IT  BLOWS  NORTHWEST          53 

"  There 's  Gonzague's  bonfire,"  Jack  cried. 
"  You  've  brought  us  through,  Dave,  about  as  slick 
as  anything  ever  was  done  in  this  world.  'T  was 
a  tough  job,  too." 

The  main-peak  was  dropped  to  lessen  the 
yacht's  way,  and  as  the  red  flare  became  more  dis 
tinct,  the  outer  jibs  were  doused.  Keeping  the 
shore  close  aboard  on  the  port  side,  the  Merle 
ran  along  toward  the  ruddy  blur  of  the  fire,  which 
was  now  seen  to  be  burning  at  the  end  of  a  point. 
As  the  boat  neared  this  point,  Jack  seized  the 
megaphone,  and  putting  the  big  cone  to  his  lips, 
faced  the  fire,  which  was  now  abeam. 

"Hallo!"  he  roared.  "Hallo,  there!  Gon- 
zague  !  " 

A  sudden  and  confused  shouting  out  of  the  fog 
answered  him.  Then  black  figures,  silhouetted 
against  the  red  brightness  of  the  fire  and  waving 
burning  brands,  ran  to  and  fro  with  odd  antics  and 
caperings. 

"'Bout  ship!"  cried  Dave.  "'Ware  boom! 
Douse  the  heads'ls  !  " 

The  Merle  came  over  on  the  other  tack,  and 
the  staysail  and  jibs  were  run  down.  The  main- 
sheet  was  then  so  started  as  to  spill  the  wind  out 
of  the  sail,  and  the  yacht's  way  was  quickly  les 
sened.  Having  rounded  the  point,  the  schooner 


54  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

moved  ahead  sluggishly,  again  passing  the  bonfire 
on  the  port  hand. 

"  Stand  by  the  anchor  !  "  sang  out  Dave,  as  they 
ran  by  the  end  of  the  jetty. 

"  Hooray!  "  yelled  a  chorus  of  voices  from  the 
pier.  "  Hooray,  Dave  !  " 

Dave  twirled  the  wheel  to  starboard,  and  the 
Merle  came  slowly  into  the  eye  of  the  wind,  where 
he  kept  her  until  she  seemed  to  be  making  stern- 
way. 

"  Well  enough  !  "  he  shouted.    "  Let  her  go  !  " 

And  the  anchor-chain  rattled  down  in  three  and 
a  half  fathoms. 

It  was  after  two  o'clock,  and  still  thick.  The 
wind,  however,  was  hauling  around  to  the  south 
ward,  and  the  fog  was  beginning  to  thin  a  little. 
The  main-sheet  had  hardly  been  hauled  aft  when 
some  of  the  men  were  alongside  in  a  boat.  Jack 
stood  by  the  steps,  which  had  not  been  taken 
aboard  during  the  run,  while  Tab,  standing  by  his 
side,  held  a  lantern.  The  first  man  aboard  was 
Gonzague.  Agile  as  an  ape,  for  all  his  years,  the 
old  Provencal  ran  up  the  steps  and  touched  his 
cap  smartly,  man-o'-war  fashion. 

"  I  see  you  leaf  in  a  great  hoory,  cap'n,"  he 
chuckled  to  Jack.  "  You  'av'  loosed  de  matting 
of  de  step-grating,  eh  ?  " 


IT  BLOWS  NORTHWEST          55 

"  Yes,  rather,"  laughed  Jack.  "  Pile  aboard 
there,"  he  added,  addressing  the  men  in  the  two 
boats  now  alongside. 

The  new  crew  made  their  boats  fast  to  the  grat 
ing  and  came  on  board. 

"  Now,  then,  all  hands  aft  here  for  a  minute," 
Jack  ordered,  when  every  one  was  assembled  on 
deck. 

He  knew  that  with  such  men  as  he  had  been 
able  to  collect  for  this  expedition  it  was  essential 
to  bind  them  in  some  way.  He  had  therefore 
prepared  a  paper  in  which  were  five  articles  for 
them  to  sign,  and  he  was  firmly  resolved  that  un 
less  they  agreed  to  bind  themselves,  he  would  not 
trust  the  President's  schooner  to  their  care.  The 
men  were  resolute  in  the  face  of  danger,  yet  were 
unused  to  discipline ;  they  were  imbued  with  a 
crude  sense  of  loyalty,  but  were  unruly  and  quick 
to  take  offense ;  and  unless  they  should  consent 
at  the  outset  to  submit  to  his  authority,  Jack 
knew  that  little  dependence  could  be  put  upon 
them. 

He  instinctively  assumed  an  arbitrary  air, — 
almost  dropping  half  consciously  into  the  latent 
bully  which  lies  hid  in  all  strong  characters.  Had 
he  reasoned  it  out,  he  would  have  adopted  much 
the  same  tone  as  that  which  he  took  by  instinct. 


56  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

These  men,  wild  followers  of  the  sea,  would  scorn 
to  be  led,  and  were  to  be  mastered  only  by  one 
who  could  browbeat  and  domineer,  —  who  could, 
in  their  own  word,  "  man-handle  "  them.  They 
responded  to  the  primitive  necessity  of  seeing 
force  in  the  man  who  is  to  command ;  and  in 
showing  his  determination  at  the  outset  Jack  was 
displaying  at  least  one  characteristic  of  a  proper 
leader  of  men. 

He  took  from  his  pocket  the  list  of  names,  and 
telling  the  men  to  answer  to  the  roll  he  read  it 
off  by  the  light  of  Tab's  lantern. 

"  Elihu  Coombs  ?  "  he  read. 

"  Here,"  answered  a  thickset  lad  with  a  rugged 
and  weather-beaten  face. 

"  Here,  SIR  !  "  said  Jack  sharply,  as  he  check'd 
off  the  name. 

"  Edward  Turner  ?  " 

"  Here,  sir,"  answered  a  quiet  voice  on  the 
outer  ring  of  the  men. 

"Haskell  Dwight?" 

"  Here,  sir." 

They  were  all  aboard  :  ten  men,  exclusive  of 
Jack,  Jerry,  and  Gonzague.  When  he  had  finished 
the  list,  Jack  handed  it  to  Jerry,  and  taking  from 
his  pocket  a  second  paper,  —  the  simple  articles 
he  had  written,  —  he  knocked  the  creases  out  of 


IT  BLOWS  NORTHWEST          57 

it  with  a  back-handed  rap,  and  then  made  a  short 
speech. 

"  My  men,"  he  began,  "  I  don't  want  to  haul 
you  into  any  game  with  your  eyes  shut,  so  I  Ve 
drafted  articles  for  you  to  sign.  Of  course  this 
whole  business  is  only  a  joke,  but  it 's  got  a  serious 
side  to  it  too.  You  can  all  see  that  plain  enough  ; 
and  it 's  my  interest  —  and  yours  —  to  see  to  it 
that  we  don't  have  to  laugh  out  of  the  wrong  side 
of  our  mouths. 

"  If  you  come  on  this  cruise  you  '11  sweat  for 
your  wages,  now  let  me  tell  you  !  I  'm  not  for 
grinding  any  man, —  most  of  you  know  what  I  am, 
for  you  Ve  seen  me  growing  up  from  a  kid,  —  but 
the  yacht 's  got  to  be  kept  up,  and  that  means 
that  every  man-jack  aboard  has  got  to  keep  as  neat 
as  a  pin  and  not  slight  his  job. 

"  On  the  other  hand,  you  men  '11  get  a  lot  of 
experience  in  handling  a  larger  vessel  than  you  've 
been  used  to  ;  you  '11  have  good  grub ;  and  you  '11 
see  foreign  ports.  Top  o'  that,  you  draw  good 
pay,  and  keep  what  clothes  you  can  save. 

"  Now  then,  these  are  the  articles  that  every  man 
who  sails  with  me  has  got  to  put  his  name  to." 

He  read  the  whole  paper,  as  distinctly  and  as 
impressively  as  he  could. 

"  Now,"  he  concluded,  "  if  any  man  here  lacks 


58  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

the  heart  for  this  business,  let  him  clear  out.  The 
rest  of  you,  step  up  and  sign." 

Jack  laid  the  paper  on  the  companion-hatch, 
and  produced  a  fountain-pen,  which  he  put  beside 
it.  Jerry  was  the  first,  in  virtue  of  his  position  as 
mate,  to  put  down  his  name.  He  set  down  his 
lantern  and  scrawled  his  signature  at  the  foot  of 
the  articles  in  a  hand  that  would  have  dwarfed 
that  of  John  Hancock.  He  passed  the  pen  to 
Gonzague,  who,  laboriously  fisting  it,  wrote  his 
name  in  a  small,  cramped  hand,  absurdly  unlike 
the  characters  above  it. 

For  an  instant  —  an  appreciable  instant  —  the 
rest  hung  back.  Jack's  brown  eyes  challenged 
theirs,  and  everyone  was  very  silent.  That  Castle- 
port  was  seconded  by  those  who  were  obviously  at 
tached  to  him  gave  the  men,  rather  than  confidence, 
an  uneasy  feeling  of  being  another  party,  and  this 
prompted  an  instinctive  caution  almost  like  an 
tagonism.  Had  things  been  allowed  to  rest  for  a 
moment,  the  day  might  easily  have  been  lost. 
Discussion  might  have  arisen  to  beget  argument 
and  discord,  explanations  have  been  demanded, 
and  the  men  have  asked  to  be  satisfied  as  to  the 
real  grounds  on  which  Castleport  was  to  be  justified 
in  appropriating  his  uncle's  yacht  and  making  off 
with  it,  a  question  which  could  hardly  have  been  an- 


IT  BLOWS  NORTHWEST          59 

swered  so  as  to  satisfy  everybody.  At  this  unreal 
ized  crisis,  old  Gonzague  quietly  stepped  among  the 
men,  passed  a  jest  with  one  of  them  in  an  undertone, 
and  so  equilibrium  was  restored.  He  at  once  be 
came  one  of  them,  and  the  vague  idea  of  parties  and 
opposition  vanished  into  thin  air  before  the  men 
had  had  time  even  to  recognize  it.  Dave  stepped 
forward  and  signed,  Jim  followed  him,  and  the 
rest  of  the  men  came  after.  Jack  had  sounded  all 
of  them  separately  before  unfolding  his  plans,  and 
the  result  was  that  not  one  of  them  drew  back  now. 
As  the  last  one  laid  down  the  pen,  Castleport  spoke. 

"  Before  we  fall  to  work  I  don't  think  any 
body  'd  mind  a  good  glass  of  grog ;  and  while 
Gonzague  's  getting  it,  I  just  want  to  add  one 
word  to  my  say.  I  know  this  gentleman,  Mr. 
Jerrold  Taberman,  to  be  a  good  navigator,  and 
I  've  chosen  him  as  my  mate.  Gonzague  '11  be 
cook  and  steward,  and  Ai  you'll  find  him.  I  'm 
bound  to  make  things  go  as  easy  as  may  be,  and 
I  will.  I  'm  sure  you  '11  do  your  duties,  and  you 
may  bank  on  my  doing  mine." 

The  grog  being  brought,  Tab  proposed  the 
captain's  health,  and  the  crew  drank  it  with  en 
thusiasm.  Jack  emptied  his  glass  to  the  "  crew 
and  a  good  cruise  ;  "  and  then  the  entire  company 
went  to  work,  loading  and  stowing. 


60  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

Under  Jerry's  orders  part  of  the  crew  began 
to  carry  provisions  from  the  boathouse  to  the 
yacht,  while  under  Jack's  surveillance  Gonzague 
and  two  of  the  crew  stored  what  the  others 
brought  out.  Gun-tackle  purchases  were  rigged 
by  the  foremast  to  take  the  heavier  cases  aboard. 
The  men  worked  feverishly,  and  almost  without 
sound,  as  if  subdued  by  the  fear  of  being  heard. 
At  the  end  of  a  couple  of  hours  the  Merle  had 
only  to  fill  her  water-tanks  and  she  would  be 
ready  for  sea.  The  fog  was  by  this  time  so  thin 
that  in  the  dim  light  of  the  yet  unrisen  sun 
Jack,  as  he  stood  in  the  rigging,  could  discern 
vaguely  the  form  of  the  house  on  the  Island.  As 
he  was  considering  the  weather,  Gonzague,  his 
face  red  with  exertion  and  his  usually  immaculate 
clothes  stained  and  torn,  came  up  hastily. 

"  Mistair  Castleport,  sair,"  he  said,  "  I  don'  fin* 
any  beeg  funnel  for  de  watter-tank.  Dey  mus'  al 
ways  feel  dem  from  de  watter-boat  'ose, —  stick  de 
en'  into  de  deck-plate,  I  t'ink." 

"  How  's  that  ? "  exclaimed  Jack.  "  No  fun 
nel  ? " 

The  tender  containing  the  first  installments  of 
the  water-supply  had  already  left  the  jetty,  and 
Jack  fell  hastily  to  considering  how  the  water  was 
to  be  got  out  of  the  big  unheaded  casks  into  the 


IT  BLOWS  NORTHWEST          61 

tanks  without  its  being  dribbled  in  by  the  dipper- 
ful. 

"  Did  you  look  everywhere  ?  "  he  demanded. 

"  I  look  in  de  peak  and  go  all  de  way  aft  to  de 
run,"  replied  the  steward,  "  and  all  I  find  was  de 
funnel  in  de  kerosene-barrel.  It  ees  too  small, 
and  it  do  fair  reek  wid  de  pairfume  of  de  oil,  sair." 

"  Is  there  any  piping  aboard  ?  any  hose  ? " 
Jack  asked.  "  We  might  siphon  it." 

Gonzague  shook  his  head,  and  at  that  moment 
the  boat  laden  with  water  came  alongside.  Jack 
leaned  over  the  rail. 

"  I  say,  Jerry,"  he  called  out,  "  there  's  no  fun 
nel  to  fill  the  tanks  with.  How  the  deuce  can  we 
make  water-stowage  ?  " 

"  Search  me,"  returned  Jerry  with  cheerful  inel 
egance.  "  How  should  I  know  ?  Might  use  the 
megaphone." 

"  You  're  a  genius  !  "  roared  Jack.  "  It  '11  do 
to  a  T !  " 

The  keys  were  found,  the  caps  unscrewed  from 
the  deck-plates,  and  the  large  papier-mache  cone  of 
the  megaphone  was  set  big-end-up  over  the  orifice. 
Two  men  held  it  by  the  rim,  while  others  kept  it 
brimming  with  buckets  of  water  bailed  out  of  the 
casks.  At  the  end  of  another  hour  both  tanks 
were  filled  and  the  caps  screwed  down. 


62  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

The  Merle  was  ready  for  her  long  cruise.  Jack 
was  well  satisfied  with  the  sufficiency  of  her  stores, 
as  in  addition  to  the  plain  provisions  which  he 
and  Taberman  had  provided,  the  yacht  had  been 
most  abundantly  victualed  by  the  President  for 
her  summer's  cruising. 

"  Think  of  anything  we  've  left,  Jerry  ?  "  Jack 
asked. 

"The  President?"  Tab  suggested. 

Jack's  official  seriousness  went  entirely  to  pieces 
at  this  suggestion,  but  he  turned  to  the  steward 
with  an  air  of  business. 

"  Have  you  got  everything,  Gonzague  ?  " 

"Yes,  sair.  I  t'ink  de  leest  is  feel,"  the  old 
man  responded,  closely  regarding  the  dirty  paper 
on  which  he  had  made  his  inventory  and  checked 
off  each  article  as  it  came  on  board.  Each  item 
in  the  list  had  a  black  scratch  beside  it. 

"  Well,  then,"  the  captain  said,  with  a  spark 
in  his  eye,  "  we  're  off!  " 

He  gave  the  word  to  clear  the  decks  and  to  get 
under  weigh. 

The  wind  had  come  around  to  the  west,  and 
was  blowing  fresh.  They  made  all  sail,  however, 
chancing  the  gusty  squalls  which  they  were  likely 
to  meet  off  the  high  land  of  Isle  au  Haut,  which 
they  meant  to  leave  on  the  starboard.  The  fog 


IT  BLOWS  NORTHWEST          63 

had  gone  entirely,  except  for  long  ghostly  wreaths 
clinging  to  the  dark  green  gullies  of  the  Haut 
or  encircling  the  distant  mountain-tops  of  Mt. 
Desert;  and  when  the  sun  rose  clear  and  fair, 
all  auspices  seemed  most  cheeringly  propitious. 

Jack  took  his  departure  from  the  Eastern  Ear 
of  -the  Haut,  when  it  bore  west-northwest  three 
miles.  At  four  that  afternoon,  when  he  and  Jerry 
came  on  deck  for  time-sights,  no  land  was  to  be 
seen. 


Chapter   Five 

LAND    MO ! 

SOME  three  weeks  after  the  morning  when  the 
Merle  left  the  Island,  Jack  and  Tab  were  sitting 
in  the  saloon,  working  out  the  sights  they  had 
just  taken  for  longitude.  It  was  shortly  after  eight 
o'clock  in  the  morning ;  the  air  was  warm,  and 
had  in  it  a  suggestion  of  the  south.  Through 
the  open  skylight  came  a  shaft  of  light  which  cast 
a  brilliant  patch  on  the  green  cushions  on  the  port 
side  of  the  cabin.  As  the  yacht  rolled  or  pitched 
easily  over  the  long  seas,  the  patch  of  light  moved 
about,  —  up,  down,  fore,  aft ;  now  it  glanced  on 
the  rich  red  sheathing,  now  on  the  transom,  and 
again  on  the  big  table. 

On  the  leeward  side  of  this  table  the  two  men, 
dressed  in  canvas  trousers  and  blue  flannel  shirts, 
were  seated  with  their  work  lying  before  them. 
Between  them  lay  several  sheets  of  paper,  parallel- 
rulers,  the  log-book  in  its  brown  duck  cover,  a 
copy  of  Norie  open  at  the  tables,  and  the  Amer- 


LAND  HO!  65 

ican  "  Ephemeris."  A  large  sheet-chart  of  the 
North  Atlantic,  weighted  with  a  pair  of  binocu 
lars,  was  spread  in  front  of  Jack.  A  heavy  line, 
full  of  zigzags  and  acute  angles,  and  running 
nearly  across  this  chart,  represented  the  Merle's 
track.  Presently  Jack  laid  down  the  pencil  with 
which  he  had  been  figuring,  and  reaching  out  for 
the  "  Epitome,"  turned  to  the  table  of  functions. 

"  Through  ?  "  asked  Tab,  without  looking  up. 

"  'Most,"  returned  Jack,  running  one  finger 
down  a  column  of  figures  as  he  glanced  first  at 
his  paper  and  then  at  the  book.  "  I  have  it  now," 
he  added,  and  after  jotting  down  a  number  he 
pushed  the  volume  over  to  Tab,  went  to  a  cup 
board  on  the  port  side,  and  brought  back  a  case 
of  instruments.  He  took  out  a  pair  of  long- 
legged  dividers,  and  with  these  and  the  parallel 
rulers  he  bent  over  the  chart  a  minute  or  two, 
until  the  silence  was  again  broken  by  Jerry. 

"  What  d'  you  get  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Nine-eighteen-fifteen,"  replied  Jack.  "  What 's 
yours  ?  " 

"  Nine-sixteen-nought,"  answered  Tab.  "  Wait 
a  shake,  I  '11  average  them  ; "  and  he  fell  to  figur 
ing  rapidly.  "  Mean  is  nine-seventeen-seven  plus. 
Prick  it  ofF,  and  let 's  see  where  we  're  at  —  the 
D.  R.  latitude  's  thirty-six  forty-eight." 


66  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

They  bent  together  over  the  chart.  Jack  care 
fully  manipulated  rulers  and  dividers,  found  the 
point,  and  marked  it  in  red  ink. 

"  She  's  making  just  over  six  knots  now,"  he 
said.  "  We  ought  to  make  old  Cape  St.  Vincent 
shortly.  Let 's  put  up  these  traps  and  go  on 
deck." 

They  stowed  the  things  in  their  several  lockers, 
and  went  out  together.  The  Merle  was  running 
along  with  a  quartering  breeze,  under  all  lower 
sails,  sliding  easily  over  the  long  swell  on  the  port 
tack. 

"  How  about  putting  a  lookout  up  aloft,  Jack  ? " 
asked  Tab.  "  We  '11  be  raising  the  land  pretty 
soon  —  if  we  're  anywhere  right  in  our  reckoning, 
that  is." 

"  All  right,"  agreed  Jack.  "  Step  down  and  get 
a  pair  of  glasses  ;  I  fancy  Hunter  has  the  best 
eyes  of  any  of  the  men.  I  '11  get  hold  of  him." 

Jerry  disappeared  below,  and  Jack  walked  along 
the  windward  side.  The  sea,  rolling  eastward  in 
long,  measured  swells,  reflected  the  sun  from  a 
myriad  of  glancing  ripples  that  gleamed  and  glit 
tered  in  the  morning  light.  The  sky,  light  blue 
and  cloudless,  looked  like  pale  fire.  On  board  the 
schooner  the  brass-work,  as  she  rose  and  dipped 
in  the  troughs  of  the  long  seas,  flashed  and  shone 


LAND  HO!  67 

like  burnished  gold.  The  white  canvas  caught 
the  sunshine,  while  on  the  decks,  still  undried 
from  their  recent  scrubbing,  the  putty  in  the  curv 
ing  seams  showed  sharply  white.  The  four  boats 
were  inboard,  turned  bottom  up  and  cross-lashed 
to  the  rail. 

Castleport  found  the  four  men  of  the  watch 
gathered  in  the  peak,  looking  over  the  bows.  He 
came  up  and  saw  that  they  were  watching  a  school 
of  dolphins  that  were  keeping  ahead  of  the  yacht. 
The  big  fish  seemed  to  vibrate.  They  sounded 
and  leaped  clear  of  the  water,  flashing  and  drip 
ping  with  sparkling  drops.  A  thousand  colors 
rippled  along  their  backs,  as  they  turned  and 
swayed,  and  they  swung  ahead  like  the  very  in 
carnation  of  frolic. 

The  captain  saw  the  man  he  wanted  standing 
on  the  port  side,  and  called  him  to  him. 

"  Hunter,"  he  said,  "  go  aft  to  Mr.  Taberman  ; 
he  '11  give  you  a  pair  of  glasses.  Go  aloft  and 
keep  a  sharp  lookout  for  land.  We  ought  to 
raise  it  on  the  port  bow." 

The  effect  produced  by  this  order  was  electrical. 
The  four  men  whipped  around  and  stared  at  Jack 
and  at  each  other. 

"  Land  !  "  exclaimed  one  with  a  foolish  grin. 
"  Land !  " 


68  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

Hunter  touched  his  duck  hat  and  flew  aft; 
Jack  followed  more  leisurely.  In  a  couple  of 
minutes  Hunter  was  ensconced  in  the  foretop, 
eagerly  scanning  the  eastern  horizon.  Castleport 
settled  himself  in  the  sun  on  the  leeward  side  of 
the  cockpit,  and  rilled  his  pipe.  He  had  hardly 
lighted  it  and  taken  half  a  dozen  whiffs,  when 
from  aloft  rang  out  the  magical  cry,  "  Land  !  " 

"•  Where  away  ?  "  shouted  the  captain,  leaping 
to  his  feet  just  as  Tab  appeared  in  the  companion- 
way. 

"  Have  we  raised  it,  Jack  ?  Have  we  raised 
it  ?  "  Tab  demanded  excitedly. 

"  Not  yet,  Tab.  Just  been  sighted,"  returned 
Jack,  peering  up  at  the  fore-crosstrees,  and 
awaiting  the  lookout's  answer  to  his  hail. 

"  'Bout  two  points  off  the  weather-bow,"  sang 
out  Hunter  from  aloft.  "  Just  a  low  bank.  Looks 
like  cliffs  through  glasses  !  " 

"  Come  along,  Tab  !  "  cried  Jack.  "  Let 's  go 
aloft  and  have  a  look  at  it." 

They  made  their  way  quickly  along  the  deck, 
gained  the  weather-shrouds,  and  ran  up.  The 
watch  below  had  turned  out,  just  as  they  were, 
half-dressed  and  bareheaded.  Two  of  the  men 
had  run  out  to  the  bowsprit's  end,  and  holding 
on  to  the  topmast  stay  were  looking  over  the  luff 


LAND  HO  !  69 

of  the  flying-jib.  Old  Gonzague,  venerable  as 
Vanderdecken,  his  white  hair  stirred  by  the  wind, 
—  for  he  was  as  usual  without  a  cap,  —  had 
already  gained  the  main-trees,  where  he  stood 
shading  his  eyes  with  one  hand  while  he  gripped 
the  shrouds  with  the  other. 

"Where  is  it?  "  demanded  Jerry,  when  he  and 
Jack  had  reached  the  trees. 

"  There  away,  sir,"  Hunter  answered,  pointing 
as  he  passed  the  glasses  to  the  captain. 

With  the  unaided  eye  Jack  and  Jerry  could 
discern,  lying  low  on  the  eastern  rim  of  the  hori 
zon,  a  faint  brownish  streak.  With  one  arm  about 
the  topmast  for  support,  Jack  looked  at  the  land 
through  the  glasses.  At  first,  owing  to  the  oscilla 
tion  of  the  mast,  he  could  not  keep  the  brown 
streak  in  the  field  of  vision,  but  in  a  moment  he 
overcame  this  difficulty,  and  was  able  to  make 
out  a  length  of  cliff  of  nearly  uniform  height,  al 
though  split  by  numerous  fjord-like  bays.  By  its 
varied  color  —  for  he  could  see  that  the  ribbon  of 
shore  was  splashed  with  reds  and  blues  —  he 
decided  that  the  land-fall  was  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Cape  St.  Vincent. 

"  Have  a  look  ?  "  he  asked,  passing  the  glasses 
to  Tab.  "  It's  the  Painted  Cape,  fast  enough, — 
or  close  to  it." 


70  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

"  What  country  is  that,  please,  sir  ? "  asked 
Hunter,  in  a  tone  almost  of  awe. 

"  Portugal,"  the  captain  answered.  "  Sou'- 
western  point  of  the  land.  We  '11  have  Spain 
aboard  before  eight  bells  this  afternoon." 

"  By  Grab,  sir  !  Beg  pardon,  sir,  but  do  them 
Portigee  fishermen  ye  see  to  Boothbay  an'  Boston, 
do  they  come  from  hereaway  ?  " 

"  Here  or  from  the  islands,  —  Cape  Verde,  the 
Canaries,  or  the  Azores  ;  here  for  the  most  part. 
You  may  go  below,  if  you  want,  Hunter." 

The  man  went,  frequently  pausing  to  look  over 
his  shoulder  at  the  coast,  glimpses  of  which  could 
now  be  caught  from  the  deck  between  the  rolls. 

After  a  brief  consultation,  the  captain  and  the 
mate  followed  Hunter,  and  went  aft  to  consult 
the  chart.  As  they  passed  along  the  deck,  they 
noted  that  all  hands  were  much  excited.  These 
men,  used  as  they  were  to  the  sea,  had  been  fish 
ermen  of  the  purely  local  sort,  and  it  was  doubtful 
if  any  one  of  them  save  Gonzague  had  ever  before 
been  out  of  sight  of  the  high  land  of  his  native 
place ;  and  here  they  were,  in  view  of  a  strange 
country  where  the  people  spoke  outlandish  jab 
ber,  and,  for  all  they  knew  to  the  contrary,  went 
about  in  toggery  as  ridiculous  as  that  of  the  Chi 
nese  laundrymen  at  Green's  Landing.  Discussion 


LAND  HO!  71 

became  all  the  more  heated  when  Hunter  came 
down  and  told  them  that  the  land  was  one  of  the 
countless  possessions  belonging  to  the  "  Portigee 
king."  Frequent  appeals  were  made  to  Gonzague, 
who  had  descended,  and  was  the  centre  of  an 
excited  group.  As  Tab  remarked,  it  was  a  sight 
worth  remembering  to  see  these  self-contained 
New  Englanders  in  such  a  state. 

Down  below,  Jack  and  Tab  held  a  brief  col 
loquy  over  the  chart.  They  calculated,  if  the  wind 
held,  to  make  the  Straits  at  nightfall,  and  run 
through  by  the  aid  of  the  lights  on  Cape  Spartel 
and  Tariffa.  Having  settled  this  point,  they  went 
on  deck  and  had  the  course  changed  slightly. 

"  By  Jumbo  !  "  cried  Jerry,  banging  his  fist  on 
the  deck  as  he  stood  in  the  cockpit,  "  by  Jumbo, 
I  can't  sleep  a  wink  with  this  land  in  sight.  Por 
tugal,  too  !  By  Jove,  it 's  all  very  fine,"  he  ran  on, 
"  for  a  blase  old  globe-trotter  like  you  to  keep 
cool,  but  I  'm  fair  dry  with  it  all." 

Jack  laughed,  and  reminded  his  friend  of  hav 
ing  lived  in  England  and  France,  and  of  having 
traveled  not  a  little  in  northern  Europe. 

"  Pooh  !  "  sniffed  Tab.  "  That 's  not  really 
doing  anything ;  everybody  does  that.  And  to 
think,"  he  burst  out,  "  that  we  brought  ourselves  ! 
God  bless  me,  Jacko,  I  little  thought  when  you 


72  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

crammed  me  with  navigation  in  vacation  days 
aboard  the  old  Luna  that  I  'd  ever  use  it  all ; 
really,  that  is,  as  we  have  used  it  these  three  weeks 
past." 

"  Well,  I  hope  you  're  duly  grateful,"  laughed 
Jack.  "  It  may  prove  a  source  of  bread  and  but 
ter  if  you  're  ever  stranded." 

All  that  day  the  Merle  ran  along  gallantly  over 
the  bright  seas,  occasionally  passing  ships  of  differ 
ent  nationalities  bound  in  or  out  of  the  Straits. 
At  sundown,  although  the  bold  coast  of  Morocco 
was  not  yet  in  sight,  a  lookout  was  sent  aloft  to 
watch  for  the  light  on  Cape  Spartel. 

At  a  little  before  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening,  the 
breeze  had  so  died  down  that  the  yacht  hardly  had 
steerage-way.  Jack  was  asleep  below ;  Tab  had 
charge  of  the  deck.  What  air  there  was  was  soft 
and  warm.  It  had  hauled  around  a  couple  of  points 
against  the  sun,  and  was  now  fragrant  with  a  faint 
tellurian  odor,  which  would  have  been  imper 
ceptible  to  a  landsman,  but  which  was  full  of 
meaning  to  those  who  follow  the  sea.  Overhead 
the  great  stars  blazed  in  lustrous  serenity.  Their 
images  kept  appearing  and  vanishing  on  the  now 
smooth  and  oily  surface  of  the  restless  sea.  The 
only  sounds  were  those  of  the  water  and  the  cord- 


LAND  HO!  73 

age,  —  the  sudden  spanking  of  a  big  wave  under 
the  counter  as  the  yacht  flung  her  nose  starward ; 
the  occasional  crashing  of  the  great  booms  and 
traveler-blocks  as  she  righted  suddenly  after  a 
heavy  roll  to  port  or  a  lurch  to  starboard ;  the 
pattering  of  the  reef-points  against  the  canvas ; 
and  the  sharp  reports  made  by  the  slatting  of  the 
lazy-jacks  against  the  sails. 

In  the  west,  growing  smaller  and  smaller  in  the 
distance,  the  receding  stern-light  of  an  Italian 
steamship  glimmered  faintly.  Taberman  watched 
it  long  after  it  kept  sinking  out  of  sight  and  again 
rising  in  the  weltering  seas,  and  until  it  at  last 
vanished  as  if  quenched.  He  was  following  out 
certain  grim  speculations  as  to  the  feelings  of  a 
forsaken  swimmer  who  should  watch  this  star  of 
his  hope  moving  relentlessly  away  into  the  west, 
grower  fainter  each  time  it  emerged  from  the 
waves,  when  — 

"  Light  ho  !  "  shouted  the  lookout  from  the 
darkness  aloft.  "  There 's  —  light;  'bout  —  point 
—  off —  starb'd  —  bow  !  " 

"What  kind?"  hailed  Jerry  from  the  deck, 
straining  his  eyes  to  where,  a  dim  blot  against  the 
stars,  the  figure  of  the  lookout  could  be  discerned 
standing  by  the  rigging  on  the  cross-trees. 

"  Fixed  white,  red  flash,"  called  the  man. 


74  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

"  All  right,"  shouted  Jerry  ;  and  added  in  his 
ordinary  tone  of  command  to  the  hands  on  deck  : 
"Lay  along,  now  !  Trim  in  main-sheet  a  bit  — 
well  enough.  Now  then,  fore  and  head  sheets. 
Good.  That'll  do. — We  want  to  get  what  air 

o 

there  is,"  he  added  to  himself. 

Although  the  wind  was  slight,  yet  about  the 
Straits  is  always  a  strongish  set  of  current.  The 
surface  current  flows  into  the  Mediterranean  con 
tinuously,  and  it  kept  setting  the  Merle  steadily 
ahead.  When  Taberman  judged  the  light  to  be 
no  more  than  five  or  six  knots  away,  he  sent  be 
low  to  rouse  the  captain,  who  was  asleep.  When 
Castleport  came  on  deck,  the  bearing  of  the  light 
was  taken,  the  chart  consulted,  and  a  slight  change 
made  in  the  course.  It  was  now  calm,  and  the 
yacht,  no  longer  steadied  by  the  wind,  rolled 
heavily. 

"  We  ought  to  see  it  air  up  before  long,"  re 
marked  Jack,  after  a  short  silence.  " It 's  so  beastly 
calm  now.  When  it 's  calm  on  one  side  of  the 
Straits,  it 's  always  blowing  on  the  other.  An 
Italian  sea  captain  told  me  there  is  always  just  so 
much  air  about  here,  and  however  much  or  little 
is  on  one  side,  the  balance  is  always  kicking  about 
on  the  other." 

"  Then  we  '11  take  the  sticks   out  of  her,  once 


LAND  HO!  75 

we  're  through  the  Straits,"  Jerry  responded  with 
conviction. 

As  the  schooner  entered  the  Straits,  the  blue- 
black  sky  to  the  eastward  became  dimly  albescent, 
and  shortly  a  blood-red  moon  rose  slowly  behind 
the  inky  mass  of  Monkey  Mountain.  The  huge 
pile  of  rock,  the  more  impressive  though  the  less 
famous  of  the  Pillars  of  Hercules,  loomed  vast, 
mysterious,  and  perdurable  in  the  soft  darkness. 
The  waves,  as  the  face  of  the  moon  cleared,  were 
lit  with  a  gray  light. 

Suddenly,  as  a  long,  smooth  swell  shouldered 
the  yacht  past  the  edge  of  a  small  promontory, 
they  opened  out  the  lights  of  Tangiers  on  the  star 
board  beam.  The  moon  as  yet  illuminated  only 
the  western  half  of  the  scarped  bowl  in  which  lie 
the  little  villas  which  surround  the  town.  The 
scattered  lights  on  the  east  side  of  the  valley  were 
accentuated  by  the  surrounding  gloom. 

"  There  's  Tangiers,"  cried  Jack.  "  There  's 
old  Tangiers." 

"  Those  lights  ?  "  asked  Jerry.  "  What  sort  of 
a  place  is  it  ?  " 

"Jolly  little  hole.  All  white  and  pink  in  the  day 
time,  with  red  tile  roofs.  Hot  as  Tophet,  though. 
There  's  Tariffa,  boy  !  That 's  Tariffa  over  there." 

They  excitedly  discussed  the  points  along  their 


y6  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

way.  To  Jerry  it  was  all  new,  but  Jack  had  trav 
eled  a  good  deal  about  the  Mediterranean,  and  was 
well  able  to  play  the  mentor.  For  an  hour  they 
talked,  and  the  Merle  drifted  with  the  current  ; 
but  they  had  not  passed  out  of  the  shadow  of 
Monkey  Mountain  before  a  faint  breath  of  air 
stirred  the  headsails.  It  came  stealing  down  out 
of  the  upper  canvas,  hot  and  dry. 

"By  Jove!"  cried  Jack,  "  we '11  have  all  the 
wind  we  want  in  a  bit.  You  can  tell  how  hard  it 
is  blowing  outside  the  Straits  by  the  distances  it 
reaches  in." 

Then  he  raised  his  voice,  and  called  to  the 
watch,  — 

"  Hello  there  !  Clew  up  the  topsails  !  Pass  gas 
kets  on  them  ! " 

The  men,  who  had  a  dog-like  trust  in  the  cap 
tain,  obeyed  quickly,  though  from  the  remarks  they 
interchanged  sotto  voce  it  was  easy  to  see  that  the 
order  puzzled  them.  When  everything  was  made 
snug  aloft,  Jack  had  a  reef  tucked  in  the  main  and 
foresails,  and  the  outer  headsails  stowed. 

Still  no  wind.  The  schooner  slowly  moved 
along  the  edge  of  the  great  shadow  of  the  moun 
tain,  only  her  topmast  trucks  and  the  peak  of  her 
mainsail  silvered  by  the  moonlight. 

A   dull,  hoarse  whisper,  faint  and  continuous, 


LAND  HO!  77 

was  now  audible  ahead.  It  grew  louder  by  very 
slow  degrees,  and  Jerry,  unused  as  he  was  to 
Mediterranean  weather,  knew  it  for  the  roar  of  a 
mighty  wind.  In  the  moonlight  ahead  the  waters 
appeared  troubled,  the  hard-heaving  seas  being 
strangely  and  almost  weirdly  demarked  from  the 
calm  in  which  the  Merle  rolled  forward  languidly. 
All  at  once,  as  the  yacht  emerged  from  the  ob 
scurity  of  the  mountain's  shadow,  a  sudden  gust 
of  warm  air  struck  her  without  warning,  and  heeled 
her  lee-rail  under. 

"  Hard  down  !  "  roared  Jack. 

Jerry  leaped  to  the  wheel,  and  it  took  all  the 
force  of  himself  and  the  helmsman  to  put  the 
helm  hard-a-lee.  The  Merle  righted,  and  being 
unusually  quick,  flew  into  the  eye  of  the  wind. 
From  the  threshing  sails  came  a  thunderous 
volley  of  heavy  boomings.  The  sheet-blocks  were 
whipped  to  and  fro  with  such  violence  that  twice 
Jack  saw  red  sparks  struck  from  the  fore-traveler 
guard.  Then,  as  suddenly  as  it  had  come,  the 
wind  left,  and  it  was  only  by  the  way  she  had 
gathered  that  the  helmsman  could  pay  the  yacht 
off. 

"  We  are  going  to  catch  it  for  fair,"  Jack  said. 
"  Best  dowse  the  foresail  entirely,  I  fancy.  Pass 
the  word  along  to  Gonzague  to  make  all  snug 


78  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

below.  Jerry,  step  into  the  cabin  and  make  sure 
of  the  course  from  off  Ceuta  to  Port  Mahon." 

"  Right-o,"  answered  Jerry  briskly,  diving 
down. 

"  Get  down  the  fores'l !  "  shouted  the  captain  to 
the  men. 

"Helm  up  a  bit  there  —  steady!  That's  the 
talk  !  Get  all  the  stops  on.  —  Now  then  —  make 
fast  that  sheet  there." 

The  Merle  was  hardly  on  her  course  again  when 
a  second  squall  struck  her.  Her  canvas  having 
been  reduced,  however,  the  helmsman  kept  her 
broadside  to  it.  The  yacht's  strongest  point  was 
the  quickness  with  which  she  gathered  way,  and 
on  this  occasion,  when  nine  tenths  of  her  class 
would  simply  have  lain  over  and  quivered,  she 
rushed  ahead  with  the  fury  of  an  avenging  goddess. 
When  the  hot  flaw  left  her,  she  was  at  the  very 
last  verge  of  the  calm  water. 

"  Stand  by  the  main-sheet  to  square  off  when 
she  meets  it !  "  shouted  Jack. 

The  men  had  hardly  time  to  get  to  their  stations 
before  a  third  squall  caught  the  Merle  and  sent 
her  tearing  over  the  line  into  the  full  strength  of 
the  wind.  The  air,  hot  from  the  desert,  and  laden 
with  fine,  parching  dust,  sang  in  the  shrouds  and 
the  running-rigging.  It  slashed  the  salt  spindrift 


LAND  HO!  79 

in  the  smarting  faces  of  the  men.  The  seas  grew 
suddenly  confounding  in  size;  huge  weltering 
masses  —  tons  —  of  greenly  black  water  wallowed 
without  rhythm  all  about  the  yacht,  up  as  high  as 
the  light-boards.  To  a  landsman  it  would  have 
seemed  impossible  that  thus  scourged  by  the 
sirocco  across  these  maddened  seas  the  schooner 
should  escape  destruction. 

The  sheets  were  started,  the  yacht  was  paid  off 
before  the  wind,  and  began  the  last  stretch  of  her 
run.  Tab  came  on  deck  with  the  course,  stagger 
ing  and  holding  on,  and  shouted  it  into  Jack's 
ear.  Jack  nodded,  and  gave  orders  for  setting  it, 
a  fresh  departure  being  taken  from  the  light  on 
the  mole  at  Ceuta. 

The  Merle  ran  close  in  on  the  eastern  side  of 
Gibraltar.  The  great  rock,  sheer  and  silver-gray 
in  the  moonlight,  rose  out  of  the  raging  seas  which 
ringed  it  about  with  a  zone  of  roaring  breakers. 
Grimly  self-reliant,  it  stood  grand,  silent,  stupen 
dous,  unassailable  in  the  midst  of  the  turmoil 
and  uproar.  As  the  yacht  raced  by,  staggering 
under  her  reefed  canvas,  Taberman  regarded  the 
rock,  in  face  of  which  their  craft  seemed  a  mere 
mote  on  the  blast,  with  a  feeling  as  near  awe  as 
it  is  possible  for  buoyant  youth  to  feel.  He  did 
not  speak  until  the  Merle  had  swept  past  the 


8o  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

rock-hewn  fortress.  Then  he  drew  a  deep  breath 
and  bent  over  so  that  Jack  could  hear  him  amid 
the  hissing  of  the  sirocco. 

"  That 's  immense,  Jack,  is  n't  it  ?  "  he  said. 

Without  taking  his  eyes  from  the  throat  of  the 
mainsail  he  was  watching  as  a  physician  at  a  crisis 
watches  the  pulse  of  a  patient,  Jack  nodded  a  deep 
assent. 

At  times  the  Merle  seemed  fairly  to  leap  like  a 
flying  fish  from  one  wave-crest  to  the  next  in  her 
northeasterly  flight. 


Chapter  Six 

DINNER    ASHORE 

ON  a  Thursday  afternoon  in  the  middle  of  July, 
the  Merle  dropped  anchor  behind  the  inner  mole 
of  Nice.  In  her  course  northward  from  the  Straits, 
she  had  passed  to  the  eastward  of  the  Baleares, 
crossed  the  Gulf  of  Lyons,  and  run  smoothly  into 
harbor  before  the  same  powerful  wind  that  had 
greeted  her  so  boisterously  on  her  entrance  into 
the  Middle  Sea. 

The  moment  when  the  port  officer  came  aboard 
had  been  a  nervous  one,  but  the  dapper  little 
official  had  merely  glanced  at  the  yacht's  papers, 
complimented  the  captain  on  his  seamanship,  and 
then  gone  ashore  without  a  sign  of  suspicion. 

The  yacht  had  no  sooner  been  made  trig  and 
ship-shape,  her  sails  stopped  with  "  harbor  furl," 
the  canvas  covers  on,  the  boats  unlashed  and 
swung  on  the  davits,  the  running-rigging  coiled 
down,  and  the  details  proper  to  coming  into  port 
attended  to,  than  Jack,  unable  to  put  off  going 


82  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

ashore  until  the  morrow,  gave  orders  for  the  crew 
to  turn  out  in  their  best  attire.  Then  with  Taber- 
man  he  went  below  to  array  himself  for  the  land. 
In  Castleport's  mind  the  idea  of  calling  on  Mrs. 
Fairhew  and  Miss  Marchfield,  who  he  knew 
should  now  be  in  Nice,  was  paramount  to  all  else. 
He  would  see  Mrs.  Fairhew,  he  would  see  Kat 
rine,  and  then  —  well,  then  it  would  be  time  to 
consider. 

Once  below,  Jack  and  Jerry  began  the  over 
hauling  of  their  wardrobes,  doing  their  dressing 
half  in  their  staterooms  and  half  in  the  cabin,  that 
they  might  go  on  with  afternoon  tea  at  the  same 
time.  During  the  voyage  they  had  gone  about 
most  of  the  time  in  flannel  shirts  and  duck  trou 
sers,  the  only  two  rules  in  regard  to  toilet  having 
been  that  they  should  shave  regularly,  and  that 
they  should  not  come  to  dinner  in  oilers,  no  mat 
ter  what  the  weather.  The  first  rule  had  been 
framed  by  Jack  ;  and  Tab,  as  author  of  the  second, 
had  declared  that  he  would  rather  eat  hardtack  in 
his  pajamas,  than  a  six-course  dinner  in  his  oil 
ers.  Now,  as  they  stood  in  the  doors  of  their 
staterooms  examining  their  shore  clothing, — each 
holding,  like  the  Hatter  at  the  trial  of  the  Knave 
of  Hearts,  a  teacup  in  his  hand,  —  they  had  the 
air  of  being  almost  surprised  at  finding  themselves 


DINNER  ASHORE  83 

in  possession  of  so  many  garments,  or  of  not 
knowing  exactly  what  to  do  with  them. 

"  Got  any  extra  duck  trow-trows,  Jack  ?  "  asked 
Jerry.  "  We  made  a  great  mistake  not  shipping 
a  laundress  along  with  the  other  stores." 

"  Hanging  them  up  on  the  rigging  to  dry 
doesn't  give  them  an  extra  fine  polish,"  Jack  re 
turned.  "  I  have  two  pairs  I  Ve  been  saving  for 
shore,  and  I  suppose  I  can  sacrifice  one  of  them 
on  the  altar  of  friendship." 

"  That 's  truly  noble  of  you,"  Tab  said,  com 
ing  over  to  Jack's  cabin  after  the  clean  ducks ; 
"  but  it 's  all  right.  When  we  go  ashore  we  '11  take 
Gonzague  and  a  bag  of  things,  and  have  some 
real  washing  done  on  land.  What 's  that  official- 
looking  envelope  ?  " 

From  the  pocket  of  a  coat  which  Castleport  had 
thrown  aside  in  his  search  for  the  desired  garment, 
a  long  blue  envelope,  still  sealed,  had  fallen  to 
the  floor.  Jack  pounced  upon  it,  with  an  excla 
mation  of  dismay. 

"  Great  guns  !  "  he  exclaimed.  "  It 's  Uncle 
Randolph's  mail  !  " 

"It's  what?" 

"  Why,"  the  captain  explained,  rummaging  in 
the  pocket  from  which  the  letter  had  fallen 
and  producing  a  couple  of  others,  "  I  told  you 


84  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

about  the  boy's  bringing  out  the  letters  to  the 
Merle  while  she  was  changing  crews  at  North 
Haven." 

"  You  mean  the  letters  the  boy  brought  out  for 
the  President  ?  " 

"Yes,  damn  it !  "  responded  the  other,  regard 
ing  the  letters  with  a  troubled  brow.  "  This  is  a 
pretty  kettle  of  fish.  Uncle  Randolph's  letters 
are  apt  to  be  important,  and  this  one  has  a  beastly 
official  look.  It 's  sure  to  be  something  that 
could  n't  wait.  It 's  probably  the  thing  he  was 
looking  for  when  he  gave  orders  to  have  his  mail 
brought  out  to  him." 

"'If  not  delivered  in  five  days  return  to  R.  B. 
Tillington,  57  State  Street,  Boston,'  "  read  Jerry 
over  his  shoulder.  "  Tillington  's  the  zinc-mine 
man,  is  n't  he?  " 

"  Zinc,  copper,  gold,  —  any  old  thing  that  you 
can  make  a  mining  speculation  out  of.  I  think 
he  's  a  slippery  old  fraud,  but  he  's  hand  in  glove 
with  Uncle  Randolph  ;  or  rather  they  have  a  lot 
of  business  together.  Uncle  Randolph  thinks  Til 
lington  would  n't  dare  to  play  him  false,  but  he's 
an  eely  old  beggar.  Anyhow,  this  letter  may  mean 
the  making  or  the  losing  of  a  fortune  for  all  I 
know.  Gad !  Running  away  with  his  yacht  is 
nothing  to  going  off  with  his  letters  !  " 


DINNER  ASHORE  85 

"  I  don't  suppose  it  would  do  to  mail  them 
here  ?  "  suggested  Jerry. 

"  That  would  dish  us  all  right,"  Jack  answered. 
"  It  would  give  us  away  by  the  postmark.  Uncle 
Randolph  is  n't  likely  to  think  of  our  coming 
across.  He  can't  know  we  were  provisioned,  and 
he  very  likely  thinks  we  are  still  knocking  about 
on  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic." 

"  He  might  find  out  about  the  stores  by  asking 
at  the  express  offices  and  that  sort  of  thing." 

"  Why  should  he,  unless  something  puts  the  idea 
into  his  -head  ?  " 

"  I  suppose  he  would  n't,"  Jerry  assented 
thoughtfully.  "  How  would  it  do  to  return  this 
letter  to  Tillington  ? " 

"  Just  as  bad  as  to  send  it  direct  to  Uncle  Ran 
dolph.  Once  let  them  know  at  home  where  we  are, 
and  we  are  done  for  fast  enough." 

"  Well,"  Taberman  said,  after  a  brief  pause  in 
which  he  had  apparently  been  summing  up  the 
situation  in  his  mind,  "  the  harm  's  done  by  this 
time,  anyway  ;  and  I  don't  see  that  there  's  any 
thing  for  us  but  to  stick  to  our  guns,  blow  high, 
blow  low.  We  '11  mail  'em  when  we  get  ready  to 
go  back." 

Castleport  regarded  the  letters  in  his  hand 
gravely. 


86  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

"  I  suppose  there  's  nothing  else  to  do,"  he 
said  slowly.  "The  Merle  is  of  course  registered 
at  Lloyd's,  and  he  'd  only  have  to  cable  over  to 
have  us  nabbed  anywhere  along  the  whole  coast." 

"  He  may  see  the  arrival  in  the  shipping-lists 
as  it  is,  I  should  think,"  Jerry  observed  rather 
gloomily. 

"  Of  course  ;  but  we  Ve  got  to  run  our  chances 
on  that.  He  's  not  very  much  in  the  habit  of 
studying  the  sailing-lists  as  far  as  I  know,  but  he 
may  do  it  now.  Anyway  we  Ve  got  to  run  for  luck." 

"  The  luck  has  been  pretty  good  so  far,"  was 
Jerry's  consoling  observation  ;  "  and  I  won't  be 
gin  to  distrust  it  now." 

The  result  of  the  conversation  was  that  the  let 
ters  were  put  carefully  away,  and  the  two  adventur 
ers  resolved  not  to  worry  about  them.  Castleport 
admitted  that  the  matter  troubled  him  not  a  little, 
but  he  was  under  the  circumstances  disposed  to 
accept  his  comrade's  very  sensible  observation  that 
after  all  the  letters  might  be  of  no  especial  impor 
tance. 

"  You  see,"  Jerry  said,  with  a  laugh,  as  he  gulped 
down  the  last  of  his  tea,  which  had  had  time  to  be 
come  thoroughly  cold,  "  we  are  really  pirates,  and 
here  you  go  bringing  the  conscience  of  a  gentleman 
into  the  business.  None  of  that." 


DINNER  ASHORE  87 

Castleport  laughed,  and  once  more  their  atten 
tion  was  given  to  dressing  for  the  shore. 

No  one  aboard  understood  the  care  and  manipu 
lation  of  the  small  steam-launch  which  the  Presi 
dent  used  on  state  occasions,  so  they  went  ashore 
in  the  big  cutter,  with  six  men  to  pull  and  old  Gon- 
zague  in  charge. 

They  landed  at  the  quays,  and  left  Gonzague 
to  act  as  interpreter  and  mentor  to  the  men,  while 
they  took  their  way  across  the  Quay  Rosaglio  and 
along  the  narrow  Rue  Paglione.  They  came  out 
soon  upon  the  Promenade  des  Anglais,  thronged, 
in  spite  of  the  time  of  year,  with  foreigners  of  many 
nationalities.  Delicate  French  ladies  in  the  lat 
est  fashions  from  Paris,  were  here  escorted  by 
anasmic  gentlemen  looking  absurdly  out  of  place 
in  evening  dress  ;  vulgar  Teutons  in  baggy  trou 
sers  with  impossibly  dowdy  wives,  legitimate  evo 
lutions  from  generations  of  sauerkraut  and  beer  ; 
now  and  then  an  unmistakable  "  remittance  man  " 
from  England,  with  puffy  eye-sockets  and  brutal 
face,  accompanied  by  the  companion  paid  by  some 
noble  family  to  take  charge  of  the  prodigal  till  he 
drank  himself  into  a  dishonored  grave  ;  the  British 
cleric,  too,  with  the  inevitable  string  of  hopelessly 
dull  daughters  tagging  after  him  like  bobs  on  a 
kite  ;  swarthy  Roumanians  or  Swabians  ;  Russians 


88  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

deep-eyed  and  surrounded  by  an  almost  palpable 
atmosphere  of  haughtiness;  in  a  word,  the  cosmo 
politan  crowd  of  a  fashionable  promenade  of  South 
ern  Europe.  Through  such  a  throng  Jack  and 
Jerry  made  their  way  toward  the  centre  of  the 
foreign  element  of  the  better  sort,  the  Hotel  des 
Anglais. 

As  they  reached  their  destination,  Jack  became 
visibly  excited,  and  made  his  way  to  the  office 
with  an  air  of  determination  vastly  amusing  to  his 
companion.  He  was  on  the  point  of  asking  for 
Mrs.  Fairhew  when  he  was  startled  by  a  voice 
behind  him. 

"Why,  Mr.  Castleport !  " 

Her  voice!    Jack  spun  around  like  a  teetotum. 

"Katrine — Miss  Marchfield  !  "  he  cried. 
"  How  do  you  do  ?  I  —  I  —  You  know,  I  came 
here  —  this  minute  —  I  was  just  going  to  ask  if 
you  were  here." 

"  Well,"  laughed  the  lady,  whose  heightened 
color  and  shining  eyes  were  evidences  of  a  pleasant 
excitement,  "you  see  I  am.  —  Oh,  Mr.  Taberman, 
how  do  you  do  ?  I  'm  delighted  to  see  you." 

"  How  are  you  ?  "  responded  Jerry,  taking  her 
slim  hand  in  his  own  hard  paw.  "  It 's  awfully 
jolly  to  see  you  here.  How 's  Mrs.  Fairhew  ? 
Well,  I  hope." 


DINNER  ASHORE  89 

"  Yes,  thank  you,"  answered  Katrine.  "  She  's 
never  better  than  when  she 's  traveling,  you 
know." 

Miss  Katrine  Marchfield  was  one  of  those  girls 
who,  though  not  beautiful,  are  more  than  pretty. 
She  was  too  attractive  to  be  fairly  disposed  of  by 
being  credited  with  mere  prettiness ;  yet  she  had 
not  fully  that  quality,  august  and  indefinable, 
which  confers  upon  the  fortunate  possessor  real 
beauty.  She  was  slightly  above  medium  height, 
and  could  now,  having  been  out  for  a  couple  of 
winters,  carry  herself  exquisitely.  A  beautiful  figure 
could  not  have  been  denied  her  by  the  most  en 
vious  rival ;  and  her  fairly  broad  shoulders,  always 
drawn  well  back,  gave  her  a  charming  air  of  deli 
cately  athletic  power.  Her  face,  at  first  merely 
piquant,  —  perhaps  from  the  slight  arching  of  her 
eyebrows  and  the  wholly  delightful  way  in  which 
she  carried  her  head,  —  showed  at  a  second  glance, 
by  the  height  of  the  forehead,  the  clear  chiseling  of 
the  features,  and  the  intelligent  sympathy  of  the 
gray  eyes,  a  true  and  sensitive  nobility  of  nature 
which  gave  to  her  countenance  a  charm  at  once  fine 
and  abiding.  Her  eyes  Jack  —  and  for  that  matter 
a  score  of  adoring  youths  —  considered  her  greatest 
beauty.  They  were  at  times  thoughtful,  at  others 
sparkling  with  vivacity.  Now  and  then  they  might 


90  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

be  surprised  in  a  quickly  vanishing  expression 
wistful  or  even  almost  sad,  as  if  some  deeper  self 
looked  out  but  did  not  will  to  be  seen.  A  mouth 
small,  the  upper  lip  a  trifle  fuller  than  the  under; 
a  nose  almost  Greek  ;  and  above  the  high  forehead 
a  cloud  of  dusky  brown  hair,  —  these  physical 
attributes,  with  a  sympathetic  temperament  and  a 
mind  sensible  yet  deliciously  feminine,  a  pleasant 
voice  and  a  delightful  laugh,  had  won  for  Katrine 
Marchfield  more  conquests  than  could  be  boasted 
by  many  an  older  woman  of  really  marked  beauty. 
Her  relations  with  Jack  Castleport,  whether  she 
had  admitted  it  to  herself  or  not,  had  for  some  time 
been  greatly  different  from  those  she  held  with 
any  one  else.  They  had  met  at  a  dinner  shortly 
after  Katrine,  for  two  years  doubly  orphaned,  had 
come  from  Philadelphia  to  live  with  her  widowed 
aunt,  Mrs.  Fairhew,  in  Boston.  After  meeting 
Katrine,  Castleport  had  taken  to  calling  at  Mrs. 
Fairhew's,  at  first  nominally  to  see  the  aunt  and 
later  frankly  to  see  the  niece.  He  was  at  this  time 
a  Junior  at  Harvard,  and  a  popular  man  on  both 
sides  of  the  river ;  the  acquaintance  during  his 
Senior  year  had  ripened  into  friendship,  and  the 
most  important  feature  of  Class  Day  for  Jack  was 
the  presence  of  Miss  Marchfield  ;  he  had  thought 
more  of  her  in  the  audience  than  of  the  dignitaries 


DINNER  ASHORE  91 

on  the  platform  when  on  Commencement  Day  he 
had  taken  his  degree ;  and  what  with  dancing  with 
Katrine,  driving  with  Katrine,  and  dreaming  of 
Katrine  for  the  winter  which  lay  between  Harvard 
and  this  summer,  he  had  come  to  measure  the  uses 
of  life  chiefly  as  they  might  help  to  make  her  care 
for  him  or  to  reveal  to  him  what  were  her  feelings 
toward  him. 

For  a  moment  or  two  the  three  Americans  stood 
talking  near  the  desk  of  the  hotel.  Then  Miss 
Marchfield  stepped  forward  and  dropped  into  the 
mail-box  some  letters  she  was  carrying. 

"If  you'll  excuse  me  one  minute,"  she  said, 
"  I  '11  send  for  Aunt  Anne,  and  see  about  dinner. 
Of  course  you  '11  stay  to  dine  ?  " 

"  Delighted,"  Jack  said.  "That  is,"  he  added, 
"  if  it 's  all  right  for  us  in  these  clothes.  You  see, 
we  stupidly  came  off  without  evening  togs." 

"  That 's  all  right,"  Katrine  returned  ;  and  went 
away  smiling. 

Jack  looked  after  her  with  an  expression  which 
made  Jerry  smile. 

"  Gad  !  She 's  looking  ten  times  better  than  when 
she  left  home,"  Tab  said  in  an  undertone. 

"  She  always  does,"  the  captain  responded  with 
fervent  fatuousness.  "  She  can't  help  it,  you  know. 
God  bless  me,"  he  added  with  equal  fervor  and 


92  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

absurdity,  "  it 's  worth  coming  over  steerage  just 
to  hear  her  voice  !  " 

"  Well,  you  are  hit  !  "  commented  his  friend  ; 
and  then,  seeing  a  shade  come  over  Jack's  face,  he 
laid  his  hand  on  his  friend's  shoulder,  and  added  : 
"  Don't  mind  my  chaff,  old  man.  I  really  wish 
you  all  kinds  of  luck." 

Jack  gave  him  a  flash  of  sympathy  and  under 
standing,  and  then  turned  his  head  aside. 

"  Pity  we  have  n't  got  evening  slops,"  Jerry 
remarked,  by  way  of  changing  the  conversation  ; 
"  but  I  suppose  we  '11  do,  seeing  the  way  we  came 
over,  and  all  that." 

"  I  'm  not  worrying  about  clothes,"  returned 
the  captain  of  the  Merle.  "  Men  wear  all  sorts 
of  things  traveling.  I  'm  thinking  what  Mrs.  Fair- 
hew  '11  say  about  our  being  here  in  the  yacht  with 
out  Uncle  Randolph." 

"  What 's  your  game  if  we  're  quizzed  about  the 
President  ? " 

"  I  'm  hanged  if  I  really  know,"  Jack  returned  ; 
"  but  I  've  got  to  pull  it  through  somehow,  and 
you  '11  have  to  follow  my  lead." 

He  had  time  to  say  no  more,  for  Katrine  came 
forward  to  rejoin  them,  and  before  she  had  reached 
the  friends,  Mrs.  Fairhew  appeared. 

Mrs.  Fairhew  was  a  striking  woman  of  some  forty 


DINNER  ASHORE  93 

years,  of  medium  height,  with  quick  and  alert 
bearing,  with  the  unmistakable  air  of  a  well-bred 
woman  of  the  world.  A  widow  of  some  six  years, 
she  still,  except  upon  occasions  of  particular  state, 
wore  black,  —  from  devotional  feeling,  according 
to  her  friends,  and,  according  to  the  captious,  be 
cause  it  so  well  became  her.  Between  her  and  her 
niece  existed  a  subtle  and  baffling  likeness,  but  in 
what  it  consisted  one  would  have  found  it  well- 
nigh  impossible  to  say.  Of  good  birth,  perfect 
breeding,  and  a  wide  social  experience,  she  pos 
sessed  also  an  intellect  naturally  good  and  im 
proved  by  careful  training  ;  while  for  her  rare  good 
taste  she  was  perhaps  equally  indebted  to  nature 
and  to  a  somewhat  old-fashioned  training  in  what 
ever  is  best  in  the  English  classics.  With  these 
good  gifts  and  graces  and  a  perfect  poise,  she  com 
bined  whatever  is  most  admirable  in  the  best  type 
of  American  gentlewoman. 

"  Mr.  Castleport,"  she  said,  giving  that  gentle 
man  her  hand  with  gracious  cordiality,  "  this  is 
an  unexpected  pleasure  !  How  do  you  do,  Mr. 
Taberman.  I  am  very  glad  to  see  you  both." 

Greetings  were  exchanged,  and  then,  after  a 
moment's  chatting,  the  men  gave  over  their  hats 
to  an  attendant,  and  the  party  went  into  the  din 
ing-room.  On  account  of  the  season,  the  number 


94  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

of  people  at  the  hotel  was  comparatively  small, 
and  the  huge  salle  a  manger ',  with  its  slim  pilasters 
and  its  long  French  windows,  its  tubs  of  palmetto 
and  oleander,  might  have  impressed  Jack  and  Jerry 
as  rather  barn-like  and  forsaken  had  either  been 
in  the  mood  to  find  anything  in  their  surround 
ings  unsatisfactory.  The  four  made  their  way  to 
a  small  square  table  in  an  alcove,  behind  which 
stood  a  tall,  round-shouldered  waiter  in  an  ante 
diluvian  dress-suit.  Jack  put  Katrine  into  her 
chair  and  was  placed  next  her,  and  with  much 
pleasant  talk  the  party  began  dinner. 

The  fish  was  served  before  any  mention  was 
made  of  the  President.  Then  Jack  suddenly 
found  himself  in  dangerous  waters,  owing  to  a 
random  remark  from  Mrs.  Fairhew. 

"  And  Mr.  Drake  ?  "  she  asked.  "  What  a  pity 
he  did  n't  come  too.  I  suppose  he  could  n't  get 
away." 

"  Not  on  the  Merle,"  responded  Jack.  "  It 
takes  a  long  time  to  cross  on  such  a  small  boat." 

Jerry  watched  his  friend  closely  to  detect  signs 
of  embarrassment,  but  was  able  to  perceive  nothing 
more  than  a  faint  flush  in  the  brown  cheeks.  He 
recalled  the  captain's  words  about  following  his 
lead,  and  at  this  point,  in  his  own  picturesque 
phraseology,  "  shoved  in  his  oar." 


DINNER  ASHORE  95 

"  Besides,"  he  said  glibly,  with  a  secret  mis 
chievous  glee  at  feeling  Jack's  anxious  eye  upon 
him,  "  it 's  so  hard  to  get  the  President  away  from 
his  everlasting  bridge,  —  Pons  Asinorum^  I  call  it. 
When  we  left  North  Haven  he  was  so  absorbed 
in  his  game  that  he  did  n't  even  see  us  off." 

"  I  did  n't  know  he  was  so  attached  to  cards," 
Mrs.  Fairhew  commented,  with  a  smile.  "  As  you 
have  the  yacht,  Mr.  Taberman,  you  should  at 
least  speak  well  of  the  bridge  that  has  brought 
you  over." 

"  Did  Mr.  Drake  put  you  two  in  charge  of  his 
sailing-master,  Mr.  Taberman  ?  "  asked  Katrine, 
with  a  suspicion  of  a  glance  at  Jack,  as  if  she  meant 
to  tease  him. 

"  No,"  returned  Jerrold.  "  Jack  and  I  did  the 
navigating  ;  he  's  a  past  master,  I  assure  you." 

"Yes,"  rejoined  Katrine,  "but  I  should  have 
fancied  he  would  have  had  some  one  that  was  — 
Well,  some  one  with  a  professional  experience,  you 
know." 

"  If  the  idea  struck  him  he  didn't  mention  it," 
put  in  Jack.  "  If  it  occurred  to  him  after  we  left, 
I  can't  tell,  as  I  have  n't  heard  from  him." 

"  Have  n't  heard  from  him  !  "  exclaimed  Mrs. 
Fairhew  in  mild  surprise.  "  Have  n't  you  been  to 
your  bankers  ?  " 


96  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

"  Have  n't  been  anywhere  except  at  this  hotel," 
Jack  returned  sturdily  ;  and  then  added  :  "  It  was 
after  bank  hours  when  we  came  ashore." 

"  Of  course  you  cabled  him  your  arrival  ?  " 

"  Mercy  !  I  might  have  done  that,  might  n't  I? 
Upon  my  word,  it  never  occurred  to  me." 

"  Thoughtful  of  you,"  Katrine  commented 
demurely. 

"  Well,  I  did  get  some  letters  ready  to  send 
to  him,"  Jack  protested,  while  Jerry  grinned 
broadly. 

"  Got  them  ready  !  How  like  a  man  !  "  laughed 
Mrs.  Fairhew.  "  A  woman  would  have  had  them 
ready  before  she  saw  land,  and  had  them  mailed 
by  the  time  the  anchor  was  down." 

"  So  did  Jack  have  them  ready,"  put  in  Jerry 
imperturbably. 

"  Then  it 's  doubly  dreadful  that  they  are  not 
posted,"  retorted  Mrs.  Fairhew. 

Jack  leaned  forward  and  settled  a  pink  candle- 
shade  that  threatened  a  conflagration,  and  by  a 
comment  on  the  inflammability  of  these  table 
ornaments  managed  to  bring  the  conversation 
into  safer  channels. 

In  the  course  of  the  talk  it  transpired  that  the 
ladies  had  no  very  definite  plans,  except  that  Mrs. 
Fairhew  had  determined,  despite  the  heat  of  the 


DINNER  ASHORE  97 

Italian  summer,  to  visit  an  old  school  friend, 
whose  husband  was  vice-consul  at  Naples. 

"  I  fancy,"  she  said,  "  that  we  shall  go  straight 
to  Genoa.  I  'm  going  to  make  Katrine  work,  and 
to  see  that  she  does  her  duty  by  the  galleries  and 
things,  —  Florence  and  all  the  Tuscan  cities,  you 
know.  Then  Rome  and  the  Campagna.  It  will 
be  dreadfully  hard  on  us  both,  I  dare  say,  but 
we  shall  be  upheld  by  the  proud  consciousness  of 
doing  our  best." 

She  made  a  little  gesture  of  comical  despair, 
and  her  niece  laughed. 

"  It  would  doubtless  be  intolerable  to  either  of 
you  without  the  other,"  said  Jerry  in  one  of  his 
boyishly  elaborate  attempts  to  be  gallant. 

Mrs.  Fairhew  regarded  him  with  a  glance  well- 
bred  though  quizzical,  but  evidently  perceived 
that  he  was  completely  sincere  in  his  desire  to  say 
something  agreeable,  and  smiled,  although  less 
broadly  than  Katrine,  who  showed  in  her  amuse 
ment  a  row  of  beautiful  teeth. 

"  Won't  it  be  pretty  hot  in  the  south  ?  "  asked 
Jack.  "  I  Ve  never  been  in  Naples  in  summer, 
nor  south  of  Rome,  in  fact ;  but  I  Ve  always  been 
told  that  it  is  too  torrid  for  foreigners." 

"  Oh,  we  are  used  to  it,"  Mrs.  Fairhew  re 
turned.  "  Besides,  it  is  after  all  the  English  that 


98  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

have  spread  the  stones  about  Italy's  being  so  hot. 
They  've  been  kept  at  so  low  a  temperature  all 
their  lives  by  their  horrid  fogs  that  they  're  the 
greatest  babies  imaginable  about  climate." 

"  I  fancy  you  're  right,"  assented  Jack.  "  At  all 
events,  as  you  are  used  to  all  climates,  and  as 
Miss  Marchfield  comes  from  Philadelphia  " 

"  Oh,  but  I  've  never  been  there  in  summer," 
Katrine  broke  in.  "  And,  besides,  I  've  lived  in 
Boston  so  long  that  "  — 

"  That  you  can  stand  anything  ?  "  interrupted 
Jerry  in  turn. 

"  I  think  I  can,"  laughed  Katrine. 

Mrs.  Fairhew  toyed  with  her  coffee-spoon 
thoughtfully  a  moment ;  then  she  looked  up  at 
Jack. 

"Where  are  you  bound,  Mr.  Castleport?"  she 
asked. 

"  I  don't  know,"  Jack  answered  quite  frankly. 
"  I  think  we  shall  probably  coast  along  —  Mo 
naco,  Bordighera,  and  Mentone,  you  know  ;  and 
then  go  to  Genoa.  Then  perhaps  we  '11  see  Elba 
and  Naples  and  Capri.  After  that  we  must  start 
for  home.  Nothing  is  settled  with  us." 

"I  detest  Monaco,"  Mrs.  Fairhew  said,  with 
some  irrelevance. 

"  Why  ?  "  inquired  Jack,  with  a  smile.    "  Does 


DINNER  ASHORE  99 

the  gambling  offend  the  Puritan  that  is  in  every 
Bostonian  ? " 

"It  certainly  does,"  was  the  reply,  "though 
my  aversion  is  n't  entirely  a  matter  of  conscience. 
I  bought  it  on  the  spot  for  a  thousand  francs." 

"  That  was  awfully  dear,"  remarked  Jerry.  "  It 
would  have  been  much  cheaper  to  be  born  with  it." 

"  As  in  your  case  ?  "  asked  the  lady,  raising  her 
eyebrows  a  little  and  smiling. 

"  Oh,  one  can't  inherit  all  the  virtues  !  "  re 
sponded  Taberman  with  the  greatest  seriousness. 

"  Most  certainly  not,"  laughed  Mrs.  Fairhew. 
"  At  least  I  had  not  that  good  fortune." 

"  Nature  left  you  one  to  get  for  yourself,  be 
cause  she  knew  you  'd  do  it  so  easily,"  Tab  said 
gallantly. 

"  Really,"  cried  the  lady,  "  you  are  evidently 
determined  to  overwhelm  me,  Mr.  Taberman. 
Compliments  drop  from  your  lips  like  the  tradi 
tional  showers  of  pearls." 

"  There  are  frogs  too  in  that  fairy  story,"  sug 
gested  Jack. 

"  Oh,  Mr.  Castleport,"  declared  Katrine,  com 
ing  to  the  rescue  of  Jerry,  "  that  is  simply  brutal." 

"  Of  course  it 's  brutal,"  retorted  Jack,  willfully 
twisting  her  meaning,  "  but  he  keeps  it  up  all  the 
same." 


ioo  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

Jerry  tried  to  defend  himself  by  charging  Jack 
with  never  being  able  to  appreciate  a  compliment 
unless  he  were  himself  the  subject,  and  so  they 
drifted  lightly  from  one  bit  of  good-natured  rail 
lery  to  another.  Now  and  then  a  more  serious 
note  was  struck,  and  through  it  all  the  spirit  of 
the  party  was  more  kindly  and  friendly  than  could 
be  pictured  by  any  words  in  which  they  might 
have  tried  to  express  it. 

When  dinner  was  over,  they  went  for  a  short 
stroll  on  the  promenade.  It  naturally  happened 
that  Mrs.  Fairhew  walked  with  Taberman,  and 
that  Jack  and  Katrine  strolled  on  together  some 
little  distance  behind. 

"  You  don't  know,"  said  Jack,  for  the  fourth 
or  fifth  time  that  evening,  but  with  an  evident 
sincerity  which  might  have  excused  even  further 
repetition,  "  how  good  it  is  to  see  you  again." 

"  Yes,"  Katrine  responded  with  a  carelessness 
too  complete  to  be  entirely  genuine,  "  I  suppose 
that  it  must  be  pleasant  for  you  to  see  any  one 
after  being  cooped  up  in  a  boat  for  five  or  six 
weeks." 

"  That 's  not  at  all  what  I  meant,"  he  returned 
pointedly,  and  with  a  little  vexation. 

"  Perhaps  not ;  but  it  's  practically  what  you 
said." 


DINNER  ASHORE  101 

"  I  said  it  gave  me  pleasure  to  see  you,"  Jack 
insisted,  with  a  daring  emphasis  on  the  final  pro 
noun. 

"  Oh,  a  compliment !  "  she  exclaimed,  as  if  the 
thought  had  just  struck  her. 

"You  may  take  it  as  such,"  he  replied  rather 
grumpily.  "  It  's  the  feminine  attitude  toward 
everything." 

Katrine  was  silent  a  moment,  examining  with 
an  appearance  of  the  greatest  interest  the  ground 
at  her  feet. 

"  How  queer  you  are  this  evening,"  she  said 
at  length. 

"  Am  I  ?  "  he  retorted.  "  Well,  I  suppose  if 
I  'm  only  amusing  into  the  bargain  that 's  all  that 's 
necessary." 

Another  brief  interval  of  silence  intervened, 
and  then  he  remarked  blunderingly  :  — 

"  I  suppose  it  makes  very  little  difference  to 
you  whether  you  see  any  one  while  you  're 
here." 

"  What  an  atrocious  reflection  on  my  efforts  to 
be  entertaining,"  she  laughed. 

"  Oh,"  he  said  savagely,  "  that 's  a  nice  mean 
ing  to  twist  out  of  my  words  !  You  know  I  don't 
mean  that." 

"You  seem  to  have  some  difficulty  in  saying 


102  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

what  you  do  mean  this  evening,"  Katrine  com 
mented  mockingly. 

Jack  laughed  uneasily,  with  that  absurdly  tragic 
air  possible  only  to  a  young  man  much  in  love. 

"  See  here,"  he  asked  explosively,  "  why  do 
you  think  I  came  over  here  ?  " 

"  I  'm  sure  I  can't  say,  Mr.  Castleport,"  she 
replied,  with  a  touch  of  coolness.  "  I  never  was 
good  at  riddles.  Don't  you  think  we  had  better 
catch  up  with  Aunt  Anne  and  Mr.  Taberman  ?  " 

And  greatly  to  his  own  disgust,  and  perhaps, 
could  he  but  have  known  the  truth,  to  the  secret 
disappointment  of  Katrine,  Jack  acted  upon  her 
suggestion  without  a  word  more. 

As  they  were  taking  leave  of  the  ladies  at  the 
hotel  a  little  later,  Jerry  broke  out  with  a  clumsily 
worded  invitation  that  they  should  on  the  mor 
row  go  for  a  sail  on  the  Merle. 

"You  are  really  very  good,  Mr.  Taberman," 
Mrs.  Fairhew  said,  "  but  I  'm  afraid  it 's  only 
half  an  invitation,  for  Mr.  Castleport  does  n't 
second  it." 

"  I  certainly  do,"  Jack  responded.  "  I  was 
hesitating  only  because  I  did  n't  think  the  yacht, 
just  in  from  an  ocean  voyage,  was  exactly  in  trim. 
I  was  n't  sure  it  was  fair  to  invite  you." 

"  I  think  we  can  put  up  with  anything  that  is 


DINNER  ASHORE  103 

amiss  in  that  line,"  Mrs.  Fairhew  answered,  smil 
ing.  "  What  do  you  say,  Katrine  ?  Would  you 
like  to  go  ?  " 

"  Very  much,  Aunt  Anne,"  her  niece  said,  with 
a  quick  little  glance  at  Jack,  a  sort  of  bird-twinkle 
of  the  eyes,  "  if  we  shall  not  be  too  intrusive." 

"  Capital  !  "  cried  Jack,  whose  good  nature  had 
returned,  and  who  was  anxious  to  make  amends 
for  his  fit  of  pique.  "  I  '11  call  for  you  in  the 
morning  at  about  noon,  if  that  will  suit  you.  We 
shall  want  a  little  time  to  get  the  yacht  in  trim." 

"  Any  time  after  ten  will  do  for  us,"  Mrs.  Fair- 
hew  answered.  "  Don't,  I  beg,  bother  too  much 
about  making  things  neat.  I  know  how  neces 
sary  disorder  is  to  the  real  happiness  of  you 
men." 


Chapter  Seven 

LUNCHEON  ABOARD 

NOON. 

The  famous  promenade  was  deserted,  and  all  the 
foreigners  who  were  able  were  safe  in  the  coolest 
retirement  of  their  little  pink  and  white  villas. 
A  warm  off-shore  breeze  wandered  through  the 
silent  streets  of  Nice,  came  to  the  water-front,  and 
there,  as  if  alarmed  by  the  noise  and  bustle  of  the 
few  sailors  and  fishermen  whom  the  heat  had  not 
driven  from  the  quays,  grew  brisker  and  fled  away 
southward  over  the  sea. 

Down  one  of  the  smaller  streets  between  the 
Hotel  des  Anglais  and  the  Porta  Vecchia,  Mrs. 
Fairhew  and  her  niece,  escorted  by  Jack,  were 
making  their  way.  Miss  Marchfield,  dressed  in 
a  simple  gown  of  white,  looked  deliciously  rosy 
under  her  red  sunshade.  Mrs.  Fairhew  walked  in 
the  narrow  strip  of  shadow  next  the  wall ;  Katrine 
was  between  her  and  Jack,  who,  owing  to  the  strait- 
ness  of  the  sidewalk,  picked  his  way  —  to  the  evi- 


LUNCHEON  ABOARD  105 

dent  amusement  of  Miss  Marchfield  —  along 
the  kennel.  As  Katrine  was  fond  of  him,  she  para 
doxically  took  unfailing  delight  in  seeing  him 
humiliated,  always  provided,  of  course,  that  no  one 
other  than  herself  was  the  author  of  the  discom 
fort.  The  three  were  nearing  the  water-front  when 
the  elder  lady  broke  a  silence  of  some  minutes' 
duration. 

"  I  hope  the  yacht  is  not  very  much  farther, 
Mr.  Castleport,"  she  ventured. 

"  No,"  Jack  answered,  "  she  's  at  the  foot  of 
the  next  street.  'T  was  awfully  stupid  of  me  not 
to  have  got  hold  of  a  fiacre,  but  it  seems  so  short 
a  distance  for  me  to  walk  that  I  did  n't  think." 

"  I  wonder  why  a  yacht  is  always  she  and  her" 
observed  Katrine.  "  Why  not  //  ?  " 

"  Oh,  the  reason  's  plain  enough,"  was  Jack's 
answer.  "  Yachts  have  two  characteristics  that  are 
thoroughly  feminine,  —  caprice  and  beauty." 

"  It  is  good  of  you  to  temper  the  aspersion  on 
my  sex  with  a  compliment,"  Katrine  returned. 

"  It  is  obliging  in  me,"  Jack  assented ;  "  but 
politeness  requires  that  I  should  stretch  a  point, 
since  you  are  my  guest." 

"  I  am  sorry  to  put  you  to  the  inconvenience," 
she  said. 

"  Of  being  polite  ?    Thank  you  !  " 


io6  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

"  Do  you  know,  I  'm  sorry  that  your  uncle  is 
not  here,  Mr.  Castleport,"  said  Mrs.  Fairhew,  as 
they  turned  the  corner.  "It  is  all  very  well  to 
have  an  old  woman  for  a  chaperon,  but  it  is  rather 
hard  on  you  and  Mr.  Taberman  not  to  have  some 
older  man  to  talk  to  me." 

"  Oh,  you  must  n't  depreciate  your  charm  at  the 
expense  of  your  age,"  Jack  cried. 

"  Very  pretty,"  laughed  Mrs.  Fairhew  ;  "  but 
your  uncle  "  — 

"  Ouch  !  "  exclaimed  Jack,  making  a  fine  show 
of  stubbing  the  toe  of  his  rubber-soled  shoe  against 
a  projecting  paving-stone. 

"What  did  you  say?"  inquired  Katrine,  with  an 
air  of  mild  interest. 

"  Nothing.  I  stubbed  my  toe  on  that  beastly 
stone,"  answered  Jack,  with  a  feeling  of  satisfac 
tion  that  the  President  was  once  more  shelved. 
"  Now,"  he  added,  "  the  boat  is  just  here." 

A  small  but  motley  crowd  was  scattered  along 
the  water-front :  bronzed  fishermen,  with  close- 
cropped  hair  and  long  earrings,  carrying  osier 
baskets  of  shining  sardines  from  their  boats  to  their 
little  carts ;  fat,  raucous-voiced  women,  with  red 
or  yellow  scarves  pinned  across  their  bosoms ; 
lean-shanked  'longshoremen,  too  old  for  the  sea 
this  many  a  day  ;  brown  sailors,  picking  their  way 


LUNCHEON  ABOARD  107 

among  the  piles  of  iridescent  fish,  —  liver-colored 
squid  and  flabby  octopi ;  half-naked  boys,  out 
rageous  and  beautiful;  with  a  miscellaneous  sprin 
kling  of  human  flotsam  and  jetsam,  as  if  the  sea  had 
cast  them  up  battered  and  damaged.  Over  all 
floated  a  distracting  hubbub,  made  up  of  the  rat 
tling  of  cart-wheels  on  the  flags,  the  shrill  cries  of 
the  venders,  the  calls  of  the  lads,  the  songs  of  the 
fishermen,  and  a  medley  of  oaths,  jests,  curses, 
directions,  questions,  and  all  sorts  of  vociferous 
shoutings. 

Both  the  ladies  drew  closer  to  Jack,  who,  mas 
terfully  making  his  way  through  the  press,  piloted 
them  across  the  quay.  At  the  landing-steps  they 
found  Jerry  and  the  Merle's  cutter,  the  object  of 
the  staring  curiosity  and  admiration  of  the  wharf- 
rats  and  the  loungers  of  the  docks. 

"  Good-morning,  Mr.  Taberman.  Have  we 
kept  you  waiting  long  ?  "  asked  Mrs.  Fairhew. 

Tab  had  been  broiling  for  half  an  hour,  but 
was  too  courteous  to  say  so.  He  responded  cheer 
ily,  then  helped  the  ladies  aboard,  and  established 
them  in  the  sheets.  Jack  took  the  tiller-lines, 
word  was  given,  and  the  men  fell  to  pulling. 
The  breeze  was  fresher  and  cooler  on  the  water ; 
it  made  the  ripples  dance  and  glitter  in  the  sun 
shine,  and  kept  playfully  curling  the  ensign  at  the 


io8  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

stern  of  the  cutter  about  Jack's  head.  According 
to  previous  instructions,  the  watch  on  the  Merle 
got  up  anchor  on  seeing  the  cutter  leave  the  quay, 
and  were  now  holding  the  yacht  in  the  wind's 
eye.  When  the  boat  came  alongside,  the  ladies 
were  handed  aboard,  the  guest-salute  was  fired,  the 
cutter  was  hoisted  to  the  davits,  and  the  yacht  was 
paid  off. 

They  ran  out  past  the  old  battery  and  the 
lighthouse  on  the  outer  mole,  and  coasted  along 
to  the  westward.  In  the  bright  sunlight  the  nu 
merous  dwellings  —  villas,  hotels,  and  pensions  — 
showing  among  the  green  foliage  of  the  trees 
looked  very  gay  and  attractive.  The  sea  was 
dimpled  with  laughter.  The  breeze,  although  it 
gave  promise  of  freshening,  was  now  only  strong 
enough  to  make  the  schooner,  which  was  carrying 
all  sail,  heel  gracefully  as  she  slipped  along.  The 
day  was  perfect  for  light  sailing. 

At  one  o'clock  old  Gonzague,  his  linen  jacket 
dazzling  in  its  whiteness  and  his  snowy  hair 
brushed  back  from  his  high  forehead,  served 
luncheon.  Jack  sat  by  Mrs.  Fairhew  on  the  star 
board  side,  with  Katrine  and  Jerry  opposite.  Gon 
zague  had  outdone  himself  for  the  occasion.  A 
Provencal  by  birth,  he  knew  the  culinary  value 
of  all  the  wares  —  to  foreign  eyes  so  puzzlingly 


LUNCHEON  ABOARD  109 

useless  and  hopelessly  inedible  —  displayed  in 
Mediterranean  markets.  The  dishes  which  ap 
peared  on  the  table  made  Jack  and  Tab  stare  : 
fresh  sardines  broiled  and  served  with  some  mys 
terious  sauce  of  which  they  tried  in  vain  to  guess 
the  ingredients ;  something  which  Katrine  pro 
nounced  delicious  until  she  discovered  it  to  be 
cuttlefish,  and  then  could  not  be  prevailed  upon 
to  taste  further ;  a  salad  which  had  lettuce  as  its 
obvious  foundation,  but  which  was  fragrant  with 
a  dozen  strange  and  piquant  herbs  ;  ripe  citrons 
and  limes  ;  figs  and  bullaces  ;  and  a  wonderful 
fruity  sherbet  for  dessert. 

"  Do  you  generally  fare  like  this  on  board  the 
Merle  ?  "  Mrs.  Fairhew  inquired.  "  If  you  do,  I 
should  like  to  come  here  to  board  while  you  are 
in  harbor." 

"  Not  much,"  returned  Jerry  bluntly.  "  This 
is  all  Gonzague's  gallantry  to  you  ladies.  As  a 
rule  he  gives  us  only  pork  and  beans." 

"  Dear  me,"  she  commented.  "  That 's  pretty 
hard  fare." 

"  Do  you  really  have  to  live  on  pork  and  beans 
on  a  cruise  ?  "  asked  Katrine. 

"  Jerry  was  only  speaking  figuratively,"  ex 
plained  Jack,  with  a  laugh.  "  Of  course  we  do 
better  than  that.  The  only  time  we  really  suffered 


i  TO  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

was  in  a  bit  of  a  shake-up  we  had  on  the  way  over. 
The  second  week  out  we  had  a  blow,  and  had  to 
live  on  hardtack  and  coffee  for  three  days." 

"  And  Gonzague  must  have  stood  on  his  head 
to  make  the  coffee,  too,"  put  in  Tab. 

"Was  it  really  so  bad  as  that?  "  asked  Katrine. 
"  I  mean,"  she  explained  as  the  others  laughed, 
"did  it  really  blow  so  hard  he  couldn't  cook 
things  ?  " 

"  Well,"  responded  Taberman,  "  for  forty  hours 
we  had  it  so  hard  we  jolly  well  thought  we  'd  have 
to  cut." 

"  Cut  ?  "  queried  Mrs.  Fairhew. 

"  Yes,  the  sticks,  you  know,"  Jack  explained. 

From  the  expression  on  her  face  it  was  abun 
dantly  evident  that  the  lady  did  not  know,  but 
she  said  nothing.  She  had  but  the  most  casual 
acquaintance  with  nautical  affairs,  and  made  no 
pretense  of  understanding  the  speech  of  mariners; 
and  she  was  always  willing  to  let  a  matter  of  this 
sort  go,  rather  than  to  submit  to  a  lengthy  expo 
sition. 

Katrine,  on  the  other  hand,  while  of  course  not 
proficient  in  the  art  of  handling  yachts,  knew 
enough  to  appreciate  that  when  cutting  away  the 
masts  had  been  contemplated,  things  must  have 
been  at  a  pass  really  dangerous.  Now  she  made  no 


LUNCHEON  ABOARD  in 

comment,  but  she  gave  a  swift  glance  at  Jack,  that 
had  in  it  much  of  the  admiration  which  Desde- 
mona  felt  at  the  recital  of  the  perils  through  which 
Othello  had  borne  himself  bravely.  Jack  happened 
to  catch  her  eye  ;  she  flushed  and  turned  to  Jerry. 

"  Don't  you  tire  of  it  all  ?  "  she  asked.  "  I 
should  think  that  to  have  the  monotony  broken 
only  by  danger  in  which  you  can't  have  any  rest 
or  comfort  would  be  dreadfully  wearisome." 

"  Oh,  it 's  great  sport  !  "  cried  Tab  heartily. 
"  Besides,  you  know,  there  are  no  end  of  things 
to  do." 

"  Such  as  what  ? "  inquired  Mrs.  Fairhew. 
"  I  Ve  always  found  the  ocean  voyage  the  most 
boresome  thing  about  traveling,  although  I  'm  a 
perfectly  good  sailor." 

"  Oh,"  said  Jerry,  with  a  flourish  of  his  cigarette, 
—  for  coffee  had  been  served  and  the  ladies  had 
permitted  smoking,  —  "  there  are  rope-ends  to  be 
attended  to,  and  gear  changed,  and  all  that  sort 
of  thing,  besides  seeing  that  the  men  go  over  the 
brasswork  properly  every  day  ;  and  there  is  tak 
ing  sights,  and  making  reckonings,  and  all  sorts 
of  things." 

"  But  I  thought  the  men  did  all  the  work  on  the 
ropes  and  things." 

"  So  they  do,"  Jack  said,  with  a  smile  ;  "  but  it 


H2  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

is  our  business  to  tell  them  what  to  do  and  to  see 
that  they  do  it.  You  must  remember  that  we  are 
the  ship's  officers." 

"  We  have  to  look  things  over  all  the  time," 
Jerry  added.  "  Just  before  we  went  ashore  to-day 
I  saw  a  thing  that  '11  have  to  be  attended  to  as  soon 
as  we  get  back  at  anchor.  The  fore-peak  halyards 
are  'most  chafed  through  where  they  reeve  through 
the  block  on  the  cap." 

"  Dear  me  !  "  said  Mrs.  Fairhew.  "  Is  it  dan 
gerous  ?  " 

"  Not  in  the  least  dangerous,"  Jack  returned 
reassuringly.  "  Is  it  really  bad,  Tab  ?  " 

"  Oh,  well,  I  fancy  it  '11  hold ;  leastways  if 
there  's  no  sudden  strain  on  it.  The  rope  's  new 
enough  ;  but  it  jammed  there  the  other  day,  you 
remember." 

"  Well,  let 's  go  on  deck,"  suggested  the  cap 
tain.  "  It 's  such  a  gorgeous  day,  it 's  a  shame  to 
miss  any  of  it." 

On  coming  up  they  found  that  the  wind  had  so 
freshened  that  the  fore-topsail  and  staysail  had 
been  struck,  as  well  as  the  outer  jib. 

"  We  can  run  on  till  about  four  o'clock,"  Castle- 
port  said,  "  and  have  plenty  of  time  to  run  back 
with  this  wind." 

They  still  held  to  the  westward,  keeping  about 


LUNCHEON  ABOARD  113 

a  mile  off  shore,  now  and  then  passing  fishing 
craft,  headed  for  Nice,  their  big  lateen  sails  shining 
in  the  sunlight.  Jack,  watching  Katrine  keenly, 
read  her  delight  and  enjoyment  in  her  eyes,  and 
could  see  how  she  responded  to  the  beauty  of  the 
day,  the  picturesqueness  of  the  shore,  the  exhilara 
tion  of  the  wind,  and  the  sparkling  sea.  At  eight 
bells  they  had  tea  au  Russe  on  deck,  and  before 
they  had  finished  drinking  it  the  Merle  was  put 
about  and  headed  for  the  harbor. 

They  had  hardly  gone  a  knot  before  they  fell 
in  with  a  large  black  yawl  flying  the  English  colors 
and  the  burgee  of  the  Royal  Yacht  Squadron. 
She  was  sailing  easily  along  under  all  lower  canvas, 
her  black  hull  lifting  gracefully  over  the  sloping 
seas  at  about  two  cable-lengths  ahead.  She  was 
in  cruising  rig,  with  no  boom  to  her  mainsail,  yet 
was  so  large  that  her  spread  of  canvas  was  at  half 
a  glance  much  greater  than  that  of  the  Merle.  She 
crossed  the  schooner's  bows,  and  then,  luffing 
occasionally,  waited  until  the  American  yacht  was 
on  her  beam. 

"  Looks  's  though  she  wanted  something  of  us," 
remarked  Jerry.  "  Will  you  take  another  look  at 
her,  Miss  Marchfield  ?  "  And  he  handed  her  the 
glasses. 

"  She  is  a  beauty  !  "  exclaimed  Katrine,  regard- 


n4  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

ing  the  yawl  through  the  binoculars.  "  I  can  see 
her  name  now.  I-s-i-s  Isis,  of — of  Plymouth. 
Don't  you  want  to  look  at  her,  Aunt  Anne  ?  " 

Mrs.  Fairhew  took  the  glasses  with  the  air  of 
a  person  doing  a  favor,  and  stared  at  the  yawl  in  a 
perfunctory  manner. 

"  What  an  absurd  bobtail  of  a  sail  that  is  set 
'way  back,"  she  observed.  "It  looks  quite  like  a 
deformity." 

"  That 's  for  balance  in  heavy  weather,"  said 
Jerry,  with  gusto.  "  Had  n't  we  better  salute, 
Jack  ?  " 

"  I  suppose  so,"  was  the  answer.  "  See  ;  he  's 
fallen  off.  Means  to  give  us  a  run  for  it,  I  fancy." 

The  Merle  dipped  her  ensign,  and  the  English 
man  returned  the  salute  in  kind. 

"  I  say,"  cried  Jerry,  "  they  're  setting  their  top 
sail.  They  want  a  race  in  earnest." 

"  They  've  an  able  boat,  to  carry  all  sail  when 
it's  breezed  up  like  this,"  commented  Jack,  giving 
the  black  yawl  a  critical  look. 

"  Come  !  "  urged  Tab.  "  Let 's  take  a  brace 
and  give  'em  a  run  for  their  money.  We  can  beat 
'em  all  right  enough,  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic." 

Jack  looked  first  at  Katrine  and  then  at  her 
aunt. 

"  Would  you  mind  ?  "  he  asked. 


LUNCHEON  ABOARD  115 

"  Mind  ?  "  cried  Mrs.  Fairhew,  "  I  should  n't 
mind  it  the  least  in  the  world  —  especially  if  we 
beat  them." 

"All  right,"  shouted  Tab,  leaping  boyishly  out 
of  his  wicker  chair.  "We'll  show  'em!  Watch 
along !  "  he  roared  to  the  crew. 

"  Sway  up  on  the  main-peak  halyards  there," 
sang  out  Jack,  who  had  also  started  up  quickly. 
"  That 's  good  !  Fore-peak  now  —  that  '11  do  ! 
Set  fore-topsail  there  —  haul  away!  Good  enough! 
All  hands  up  to  windward !  "  Then  he  turned 
to  the  helmsman.  "  I  '11  take  her,"  he  said.  "  You 
get  up  to  windward  with  the  rest." 

The  man  handed  the  helm  over  to  him,  and 
the  race  began. 

The  yawl  was  on  the  windward  beam,  and  both 
she  and  the  schooner  were  carrying  so  much  sail 
as  now  and  again  to  be  heeled  lee  rail  under.  At 
the  end  of  twenty  minutes  the  American  boat 
seemed  to  be  drawing  ahead,  although  the  English 
man,  his  red  flag  blowing  out  from  his  maintop, 
was  still  to  windward. 

Katrine  and  her  aunt  had  abandoned  their  chairs 
for  the  weather  transom  of  the  cockpit.  Katrine 
was  thoroughly  alive  to  the  excitement  of  this  im 
promptu  contest,  while  Mrs.  Fairhew's  well-bred 
face  wore  a  smile  which  might  be  taken  to  signify 


u6  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

either  her  superiority  to  such  a  youthful  means  of 
enjoyment  or  confidence  in  the  power  of  the  Merle 
to  outstrip  her  rival. 

Jack,  his  strong,  shapely  hands  grasping  the 
spokes  of  the  wheel,  glanced  only  from  the  sails 
aloft  to  the  yawl  and  back  again.  Katrine  watched 
him  furtively.  His  keen,  eager  pose,  wholly  free 
from  self-consciousness  and  suggestive  of  power 
and  vigilant  activity,  his  masterful  management 
of  his  craft,  —  she  noted  them  all,  and  felt  a  cer 
tain  pleasure  in  them,  as  if  in  some  way  she  were 
responsible  for  them. 

"  Think  we  '11  come  'round,  Jerrold,"  said  the 
captain. 

He  gave  a  rapid  succession  of  orders  as  he 
twirled  the  spokes  to  port.  The  Merle  came  about 
on  the  other  tack,  the  men  got  to  stations  on  the 
weather  side,  and  the  ladies  changed  their  places. 

"  Now  we  '11  see  how  much  we  Ve  gained  on 
them,"  said  Jerry,  half  to  the  guests  and  half  to 
himself. 

They  drove  toward  the  shore  in  the  roughening 
sea,  the  port  runway  being  now  covered  with  a  thin 
sheet  of  hissing  green  water.  Up  forward  an  occa 
sional  wave  would  come  slap  against  the  yacht's 
shoulder  with  a  sound  like  a  rifle-shot.  The  Isis 
crossed  their  bows  at  a  distance  so  little  ahead  of 


LUNCHEON  ABOARD  117 

them  that  her  name  and  hail  could  be  read  easily 
without  the  aid  of  a  glass. 

"  We  're  outfooting  them,  Jack.  We  '11  have 
'em  cold  in  twenty  minutes  !  "  cried  Tab  enthusi 
astically. 

"  Don't  count  your  chickens  before  they  're 
hatched,"  laughed  Katrine. 

"Oh,  but  we  can't  help  doing  'em,"  he  re 
sponded.  "  We  '11  have  'em  so  walloped  that 
they  '11  go  into  dry-dock  for  a  month." 

"  You  'd  better  rap  on  wood,  Mr.  Taberman," 
cautioned  Mrs.  Fairhew,  with  a  smile.  "  I  don't 
wislT  to  be  a  croaking  raven,  but  surely  they  're 
ahead  now." 

Mrs.  Fairhew  had,  as  the  race  went  on,  grown 
more  and  more  alert.  Her  eyes  had  in  them  the 
spark  of  a  genuine  lover  of  sport,  and  all  the 
womanly  love  of  contest  and  conquest  showed  in 
the  eagerness  of  her  pose  and  air. 

"  Of  course  they  're  ahead,"  Jerry  answered ; 
"  but  we  have  the  wind  of  them  by  a  good  deal." 

"  I  hope  that  means  something,"  the  lady  com 
mented,  with  a  movement  of  the  head  half  eager, 
half  humorous,  "  but  I  confess  that  it  is  all  Greek 
to  me." 

Jerry  began  to  explain,  but  before  he  could  make 
things  clear  to  the  lady's  unnautical  mind,  the 


n8  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

yacht  came  about  again  to  the  port  tack.  The 
Merle  was  then  so  far  to  weather  of  the  yawl  that 
Jack  ordered  the  sheets  to  be  started  a  trifle. 

"  Now  then,  Jerry,  here  's  where  we  overhaul 
them,"  Jack  cried  exultingly.  "  Just  set  the  bal 
loon-jib  outside  the  headsails.  I  think  she  '11 
stand  it." 

"  Want  the  staysail  ?  "  asked  the  mate. 

"No  —  'twould  spoil  her  helm,"  returned  the 
captain.  "Jump  along,  old  man." 

The  change  was  effected  as  quickly  as  might  be, 
and  the  yacht's  speed  was  visibly  increased. 

"  That  yawl 's  better  on  the  wind  than  off,"  the 
captain  commented.  "We're  picking  up  on  'em 
now  like  smoke." 

After  an  hour's  chase  and  half  an  hour's  jockey 
ing  off  the  mouth  of  the  port,  the  Merle  was  about 
to  run  in  when  the  English  yacht  luffed  up  and 
crossed  the  schooner's  bows.  Both  boats  were  close- 
hauled,  but  the  American  was  on  the  starboard 
tack  and  had  the  right  of  way.  The  helmsman  of 
the  Isis  gave  Jack  his  choice  of  running  the  yawl 
down  or  luffing  himself.  Jack  chose  the  latter  alter 
native  ;  although  naturally  angry  at  such  an  un 
sportsmanlike  trick,  he  could  not  take  risks  with 
his  uncle's  yacht,  least  of  all  with  the  ladies  on 
board.  The  Englishman  did  not  spare  him,  but 


LUNCHEON  ABOARD  119 

first  blanketed  him,  and  then,  putting  his  helm  up 
and  leaving  the  Merle  with  a  small  ledge  frothing  to 
leeward,  forced  the  schooner  about.  Under  his  tan 
Jack  grew  white  with  indignant  anger.  He  was 
not  the  man  to  lose  his  temper  in  his  pastimes,  but 
he  had  a  strong  sense  of  justice,  a  thorough  con 
tempt  for  trickery,  and  he  was  quick  to  resent  a 
deliberate  outrage  of  this  sort.  The  performance 
was  so  evidently  premeditated  on  the  part  of  the 
Isis  that  it  amounted  to  a  most  flagrant  insult,  a 
cold-blooded  piece  of  sporting  caddishness.  The 
only  remedy  possible  under  the  circumstances  was 
a  desperate  one,  but  in  his  state  of  mind  he  did 
not  hesitate. 

"  Stand  by  to  jibe  !  "  he  roared.  "  Cast  off  the 
topsail  halyards  !  Now  aft  on  the  sheets  !  " 

It  was  blowing  too  hard  for  jibing  with  safety 
even  under  reduced  cloth,  and  barring  staysail  and 
topsails,  the  Merle  was  under  full  canvas. 

"  My  God  !  "  exclaimed  Jerry  to  the  winds,  as 
he  tumbled  aft  to  help  on  the  sheet,  "he'll  pull 
the  sticks  out  of  her  !  Something's  bound  to  go  !  " 

Jack  held  the  wheel  hard  up,  and  the  schooner 
swung  steadily  off.  The  booms  rushed  over  the 
decks,  fetched  up  with  a  crash,  and  then  swung 
out  as  the  men  payed  off  the  sheets.  The  lee  rail 
went  clean  under,  and  for  a  second  or  two  unplea- 


120  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

sant  and  portentous  creakings  and  groanings  filled 
the  air.  The  men  flew  about  with  wonderful  dex 
terity,  while  the  two  ladies  held  on  to  each  other 
to  avoid  being  pitched  headlong. 

"Are  any  of  your  teeth  shaken  out,  Katrine?  " 
Mrs.  Fairhew  inquired,  when  they  were  able  once 
more  to  sit  up.  "  All  mine  were  loosened  by  that 
awful  jerk." 

"  They  are  all  safe,  Aunt  Anne,"  Katrine  cried, 
her  voice  vibrant  with  delighted  excitement.  "  Is  n't 
it  splendid  ? " 

Her  hair  was  blowing  about  her  face,  her  eyes 
were  shining,  her  cheeks  were  flushed;  and  Jack, 
though  his  swift  glance  merely  caught  a  view  of  her 
as  it  flashed  up  to  the  sails,  carried  the  alluring  pic 
ture  in  his  mind  for  many  a  day.  The  thought  of 
it  was  for  the  time  being  instantly  crowded  out  of 
his  mind  as  he  caught  sight  of  the  rigging.  As  the 
Merle  had  leaped  ahead,  the  fore-peak  halyards, 
which  had  not  been  started  before  the  yacht  was 
jibed,  had  parted.  The  gafF  hung  nearly  at  right 
angles  to  the  boom,  and  the  sail  was  being  strained 
out  of  shape.  The  captain  was  so  upset  that  in 
his  rage  he  was  guilty  of  swearing  before  ladies. 

"  What  shall  we  do  ?  "  sang  out  Jerry. 

Jack's  cry  had  called  his  attention  to  the  mis 
hap,  and  he  had  run  forward. 


LUNCHEON  ABOARD  121 

"  Really  this  grows  exciting,"  remarked  Mrs. 
Fairhew,  as  if  she  were  at  the  theatre. 

"  Oh,  what  a  shame  !  what  a  shame  !  "  wailed 
Katrine,  looking  despairingly  up  at  the  drooping 

gaff. 

"  Get  some  half-inch  on  it ! "  shouted  Jack, 
almost  beside  himself  at  having  been  bullied  into 
this  predicament.  "  Take  it  out  as  far  as  you  can  ! 
Reeve  it  through  the  cap-block  first.  Move  along 
there  !  Smartly  !  " 

"  All  right  !  "  cried  Tab ;  and  in  the  same  mo 
ment,  with  a  coil  of  new  rope  over  his  shoulder, 
and  followed  by  one  of  the  men,  he  ran  up  the 
weather  rigging. 

On  reaching  the  cross-trees,  Tab  passed  the 
end  of  his  rope  through  the  block  on  the  mast 
head  cap  and  fastened  it  to  his  belt.  Then  he 
swung  himself  down  to  the  jaws  of  the  gaff  and 
lay  out  along  the  spar.  The  big  stick  threshed 
about  wildly,  threatening  to  snap  him  into  the  sea 
at  every  fling.  Slowly  and  painfully  he  worked  his 
way  out.  He  clung  on  desperately,  so  that  it 
seemed  like  a  conscious  fight  between  himself  and 
the  plunging  spar  whether  he  should  be  shaken 
off.  It  was  like  a  man's  trying  to  tame  a  bucking 
horse,  only  a  hundred  times  more  exciting,  and 
Katrine  grew  pale  as  she  watched,  while  even  Mrs. 


122  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

Fairhew  set  her  lips  closely.  The  three  minutes 
it  took  Jerry  to  reach  the  peak-halyard  block 
seemed  to  every  person  on  the  Merle  all  but  in 
terminable.  Twice  he  nearly  fell,  —  once  at  the 
outset  when  he  slipped,  and  again  when  he  had  to 
crawl  around  the  throat  halyards  between  rolls. 
The  second  time  he  was  actually  thrown  off  the 
spar,  but  fortunately  he  held  his  grip  on  the 
halyards.  The  next  lurch  of  the  yacht  playfully 
tossed  him  into  the  air,  and  he  was  lucky  enough 
to  regain  his  position  on  the  spar. 

Getting  to  the  peak-block,  he  unknotted  the 
rope  from  his  belt,  passed  it  about  the  spar,  and 
took  a  "  timber-hitch."  He  then  slowly  worked 
his  way  back,  and  eventually  reached  the  cross- 
trees  in  safety.  The  nervous  tension  had  been  so 
strong  that  when  the  men  saw  him  coming  down 
the  ratlines  they  fell  to  cheering  lustily,  Gonzague, 
his  white  hair  ruffled  by  the  wind,  waving  his  arms 
and  out-shouting  the  whole  of  them.  They  speed 
ily  got  hold  of  the  jury  halyard,  and  even  before 
Jerry  had  reached  the  deck,  the  gaff  was  again 
well  raised,  and  the  topsail  set. 

In  the  mean  time  the  Isis  had  in  her  turn  got 
into  difficulties.  It  is  poor  business  jockeying 
among  reefs,  and  the  yawl  had  been  forced  to  come 
about,  luff  up,  and  drift  sternwards  until  her 


LUNCHEON  ABOARD  123 

chances  of  beating  the  Merle  were  utterly  gone. 
The  fact  seemed  to  be  that  the  English  captain 
had  counted  upon  the  Merle's  not  daring  to  jibe, 
and  so  had  been  too  clever  by  half. 

Jerry  came  aft,  very  red  in  the  face,  and  with 
the  customary  twinkle  in  his  eye.  The  ladies  were 
evidently  greatly  impressed  by  his  feat,  and  Jack, 
who  of  course  understood  more  clearly  than  they 
how  dangerous  the  task  had  been,  took  one  hand 
off  the  wheel  and  wrung  Jerry's. 

"  Awfully  sorry,  old  man,"  he  said.  "  But  I  was 
so  hot  at  that  Englishman  I  lost  my  head  for  a 
minute." 

"Oh,  go  'long!"  returned  Jerry,  grinning. 
"  Don't  you  suppose  I  was  hot  myself?  " 

He  dropped  on  to  a  seat  beside  Mrs.  Fairhew, 
to  recover  his  breath. 

"  Mr.  Taberman,"  said  that  lady,  "  I  'm  an  old 
woman,"  —  it  was  one  of  Mrs.  Fairhew's  idiosyn 
crasies  to  call  attention  thus  whimsically  to  the 
fact  that  she  looked  hardly  more  than  thirty,  — 
"  I  'm  an  old  woman,  and  consequently  I  disap 
prove  of  rashness ;  but  I  don't  mind  saying  that 
I  like  your  pluck." 

She  looked  at  him  in  a  curious  way,  as  if  he  were 
an  amusing  case  of  arrested  development,  but  her 
glance  was  full  of  kindliness. 


i24  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

"Thank  you,"  Tab  answered,  with  a  smile 
which  was  too  confused  not  to  be  almost  a  grin. 
"It's  more  a  sound  wind  than  pluck,  I  assure 
you." 

"  It  was  perfectly  magnificent !  "  Katrine  cried. 
"  You  're  a  perfect  hero  !  " 

They  all  laughed,  more  perhaps  from  the 
nervous  reaction  after  the  strain  than  from  any 
especial  amusement,  and  Jerry  blushed  more  than 
ever. 

"  I  'm  afraid  you  're  inclined  to  make  a  moun 
tain  out  of  a  molehill,"  he  said.  "  We  don't  allow 
heroics  aboard  here,  you  know.  Jack  did  the 
only"  — 

"That'll  do,  Jerry,"  called  Jack  from  the 
wheel. 

"All  right,  captain,"  Tab  returned,  laughing. 
"  Under  orders." 

"  Oh,  but  that 's  not  fair,"  cried  Katrine.  "  If 
Mr.  Castleport  played  the  hero  too,  we  want  to 
know  all  about  it." 

"  I  '11  masthead  that  mate  if  he  goes  on  talking 
about  his  superior  officer,"  Jack  threatened.  "  See, 
the  Isis  has  given  the  whole  thing  up." 

"She'd  better,"  commented  Jerry,  "though  I 
don't  see  that  she  had  anything  left  to  give. 

The  yawl  was  well  astern   now.    Her  sailing- 


LUNCHEON  ABOARD  125 

master  had  for  a  little  time,  in  a  vain  endeavor  to 
overtake  his  rival,  pinched  his  boat  unmercifully, 
so  that  with  her  nose  in  the  wind's  eye  her  sails 
were  every  now  and  then  a-shiver.  Now  she  had 
evidently  accepted  the  inevitable,  and  was  making 
quietly  for  an  anchorage. 

"  Tell  us  about  Mr.  Castleport,"  Katrine  said 
to  Jerry  in  an  undertone. 

"  Oh,"  returned  Tab,  "  he  stuck  to  the  wheel 
over  forty-eight  hours  when  we  had  that  blow  we 
were  talking  about.  It  was  a  magnificent  thing 
to  do,  and  I  think  he  saved  us  from  everlasting 
smash.  Of  course  he  pooh-poohs  the  idea,  but 
Jack's  never  willing  to  have  anybody  say  he's 
done  anything  big.  He  's  as  modest  as  he  is  stun 
ning,"  he  ended  warmly,  throwing  at  the  captain 
a  glance  of  admiration  and  affection. 

Katrine  made  no  audible  comment,  but  her 
glance  followed  his,  and  had  Jack  intercepted  her 
look  at  that  moment,  he  might  have  felt  his  heart 
beat  more  briskly. 

The  superior  speed  of  the  Merle,  aided  by  the 
poor  tactics  of  the  skipper  of  the  Isis,  who  seemed 
to  lose  his  head  when  he  found  he  was  beaten, 
gave  the  American  so  much  the  lead  that  the 
schooner  had  dropped  her  anchor  a  minute  or  two 
before  the  yawl  rounded  the  inner  mole. 


126  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

"  I  never  had  so  splendid  a  sail  in  my  life," 
Katrine  said. 

"  I  was  sure  you  would  beat  that  other  boat, 
Mr.  Castleport,"  Mrs.  Fairhew  told  him,  "  and  I 
confess  I  enjoyed  seeing  you  do  it." 

"  I  could  n't  be  so  rude  as  to  let  you  ladies  be 
beaten  in  a  race,"  the  captain  responded,  laughing. 

"  Of  course  not,"  put  in  Jerry  ;  "  no  gentleman 
would  let  a  lady  be  beaten." 

"  What  an  atrocious  pun  !  "  cried  Katrine ; 
u  and  Mr.  Taberman  looks  actually  wistful  for 
fear  we  should  n't  see  it." 

"  Well,"  her  aunt  said,  moving  toward  the  lad 
der,  where  the  cutter  was  in  waiting,  "  it  has  been 
a  delightful  day,  and  we  are  greatly  obliged." 

While  the  ladies  were  being  pulled  ashore,  and 
before  Jack  and  Jerry  had  returned,  everything 
on  the  Merle  was  put  in  order.  Just  as  they  went 
below  to  dress  for  going  ashore  for  dinner,  a  boat 
from  the  yawl  came  alongside  with  a  note  for  the 
"  Captain  of  the  Merlej  sch.  Y't."  Gonzague 
brought  it  to  Castleport,  who  looked  at  it,  and 
then  read  it  aloud  to  Jerry. 

YAWL  YACHT  Isis,  R.  Y.  S. 

Lord  Merryfield  presents  his  compliments  to 
the  gentleman  who  handled  the  Merle  in  such  a 


LUNCHEON  ABOARD  127 

masterly  fashion  this  afternoon,  and  requests  the 
honor  of  his  presence  at  dinner  on  board  the  Isis 
this  evening  at  six  bells,  A.  T.  It  will  be  an 
additional  pleasure  to  Lord  Merryfield  if  the  gen 
tleman  who  so  pluckily  rose  to  the  occasion  in 
the  matter  of  a  parted  halyard  will  accompany  the 
captain  of  the  Merle. 
R.  s.  v.  p. 

NICE,  July  17,  1902. 

"  Rot !  "  said  Jerry  inelegantly.  "  Let  me  an 
swer  it." 

"  Get  out !  "  responded  Jack.  "  I  think  I  can 
settle  him." 

He  got  out  the  President's  most  elaborate 
stationery,  and  after  some  meditation  and  the  de 
struction  of  one  or  two  epistles  which  would  not 
go  quite  to  suit  him,  he  handed  to  Jerry  the  fol 
lowing  :  — 

SCH.  YT.  MERLE,  E.  Y.  C. 

Captain  John  Castleport  and  Mr.  Jerrold 
Taberman  present  their  compliments  to  Lord 
Merryfield  and  regret  that,  owing  to  a  previous 
engagement,  it  is  impossible  for  them  to  accept 
the  invitation  so  kindly  tendered  to  them.  Captain 
Castleport  further  desires  earnestly  to  express  his 
opinion  in  regard  to  having  been  forced  about  by 


128  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

the  Y.  Yt.  Isis  this  afternoon  when  he  had  the 
right  of  way ;  and  to  say  that  he  considers  such  a 
manoeuvre  so  unsportsmanlike  and  insulting  that 
it  should  be  impossible  in  a  gentleman's  race. 
As  the  injured  party,  he  ventures  to  remind  Lord 
Merryfield  that  the  only  reparation  that  can  be 
made  is  the  severest  reprimanding  of  the  sailing- 
master,  or  whoever  was  responsible  for  this  inex 
cusable  expedient. 

NICE,  July  17,  1902. 

"  You  see,"  Jack  explained,  "  we  let  him  know 
what  we  think  of  that  caddish  trick  without  being 
in  the  least  rude  ourselves.  Of  course  the  chances 
are  that  he  was  responsible  for  the  thing  himself, 
and  there  we  have  him  on  the  hip." 

"  I  suppose  it 's  all  right,"  grumbled  Jerry. 
"  You  know  best ;  but  if  I  'd  written  it,  I  should 
have  told  him  straight  out  that  I  thought  him  a 
damned  cad  !  " 


I 


Chapter  Eight 

A    CHANGE    OF    TACTICS 

As  they  sat  that  evening  in  the  garden  of  the 
hotel  drinking  their  after-dinner  coffee,  which  the 
gentlemen  accompanied  with  cigarettes,  they  dis 
cussed  the  news  from  home  contained  in  a  batch 
of  letters  Mrs.  Fairhew  and  her  niece  had  found 
awaiting  them  on  their  return  from  the  yacht. 
The  announcement  of  an  engagement,  rumors  of 
flirtations  which  might  end  in  others,  the  latest 
gossip  about  people  they  all  knew,  were  mingled 
with  chat  about  an  extraordinary  yacht  race  at 
Northeast  Harbor,  a  Russian  princess  at  Nahant, 
an  automobile  accident  at  Lenox,  and  a  fresh 
divorce  at  Newport. 

"  Everything  else,"  Mrs.  Fairhew  said  at  length, 
"  is  simply  nothing  at  all  in  comparison  to  a  piece 
of  business  news  I  received.  Have  you  heard  of 
the  Tillington  failure  ?  " 

"  What !  "  cried  Jack.    "  R.  B.  Tillington  ?  " 
"  Yes.    Their  own  notice  was  with  the  other 


130  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

mail  this  afternoon,"  she  responded.  "  Liabilities 
something  like  a  third  of  a  million  and  their  assets 
nothing." 

"How  in  the  world  did  it  happen?"  asked 
Tab.  "  I  knew  they  had  a  lot  to  do  with  mines, 
and  of  course  those  are  always  risky ;  but  Til- 
lington  always  had  the  name  of  being  awfully 
clever." 

"  Perhaps  he  was  too  clever,"  Jack  suggested. 

"  Clever  or  not,"  Mrs.  Fairhew  said,  "  he  has 
come  to  grief,  and,  I  am  ashamed  to  confess,  he 
has  lost  some  money  for  me." 

"  I  am  very  sorry  for  that,"  Jack  responded. 
"  I  '11  wager  you  '11  have  plenty  of  distinguished 
company.  I  'm  awfully  afraid  Uncle  Randolph  got 
his  ringers  burned.  He  's  had  dealings  with  Til- 
lington  for  ever  so  long.  I  never  took  kindly  to 
the  man  myself,  but  Uncle  Randolph  had  a  great 
opinion  of  his  business  sagacity." 

"  I  '11  wager  Mrs.  Fairhew  's  bound  to  be  in  good 
company  even  in  misfortune,"  Jerry  declared  with 
his  usual  somewhat  clumsy  gallantry. 

Mrs.  Fairhew  smiled,  and  made  a  little  sweep 
ing  gesture  with  her  fan  as  if  the  subject  were  a 
disagreeable  one  and  should  be  waved  aside. 

"  Even  that,"  she  said,  "  does  n't  soothe  my 
wounded  vanity.  The  money  I  've  lost  is  fortu- 


A  CHANGE  OF  TACTICS         131 

nately  not  very  much,  but  I  pride  myself  on  my 
business  head,  and  I  made  this  investment  in  spite 
of  the  advice  of  my  banker.  Think  how  he  will 
chuckle  !  I  'd  rather  have  lost  three  times  as  much 
on  an  investment  he  selected." 

"  How  thoroughly  feminine  !  "  Jack  laughed. 

"  Of  course  you  can't  understand,"  Katrine 
struck  in.  "  I  agree  with  Aunt  Anne  entirely.  Of 
course  one  would  rather  lose  money  than  to  give 
a  man  a  chance  to  crow  over  her." 

The  talk  was  thus  drawn  into  the  inexhaustible 
discussion  of  feminine  and  masculine  characteris 
tics,  that  topic  about  which  revolves  two  thirds  of 
all  the  small  talk  of  the  world.  Then  it  drifted 
back  to  the  personal  news  of  the  letters. 

"  I  don't  think  Billy  Rafton  's  to  be  congratu 
lated,"  announced  Tab  emphatically,  in  reference 
to  a  recent  wedding.  "  Edna  Leighton  has  plenty 
of  money  of  course,  and  is  a  stunning  girl  and  all 
that ;  but  she  's  so  horribly  ambitious  that  she 
won't  give  poor  Billy  a  minute's  peace." 

"  And  Billy  is  one  of  the  most  quiet  men  alive," 
put  in  Jack. 

"  Ambitious  ?  "  queried  Katrine.  "  How  ?  I  've 
known  her  pretty  well,  and  to  me  she  always 
seemed  nice.  Certainly  she  's  clever." 

"  So  she   is  clever,"  Jerry  assented ;  "  but  of 


132  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

course  that  '11  make  it  harder  for  Billy  to  stand  out 
against  her." 

"  She  naturally  would  have  the  instinct  to  get 
ahead  in  the  world,"  commented  Castleport.  "  Her 
mother  was  a  Farquhar." 

"  Mr.  Castleport,"  remonstrated  Mrs.  Fairhew, 
"that  remark  is  too  feminine  to  be  worthy  of 
you." 

"  Do  you  regret  that  I  did  n't  leave  it  for  you 
to  say  ?  "  he  asked  saucily.  "  I  know  you  entirely 
agree  with  me." 

"  Her  father,  Stephen  Leighton,"  Mrs.  Fair- 
hew  continued,  making  no  answer  but  a  hardly 
perceptible  smile  to  his  statement,  "was  a  thor 
oughly  charming  man  and  of  very  good  family. 
You  can't  deny  that,  Mr.  Castleport." 

"  I  have  n't  any  wish  to.  I  'm  not  trying  to  run 
down  Edna  Leighton  —  Rafton,  that  is." 

"  I  always  thought,"  began  Katrine.  Then  she 
stopped,  with  an  involuntary  movement  of  the 
eyes  in  the  direction  of  Taberman. 

"  Oh,  I  was  hit  there  once,"  Tab  said  jovially, 
"  if  that 's  what  you  mean.  I  got  over  it  at  a  boat 
race." 

They  all  laughed,  and  the  topic  seemed  ex 
hausted,  when  the  elder  lady  said :  — 

"We  shall  have  sight  of  them  at  Florence,  I 


A  CHANGE  OF  TACTICS         133 

suppose.  They  are  to  be  at  the  Villa  Foscagni 
for  the  summer.  It  belongs  to  the  Raftons." 

"When  do  you  expect  to  get  there?"  Tab 
inquired  carelessly. 

"  Florence?    In  five  or  six  days." 

"  Five  or  six  days  !  "  cried  Jack.  "  Why,  when 
do  you  leave  here  ?  " 

"  To-morrow  afternoon,"  answered  Katrine  in 
a  tone  of  which  the  indifference  might  have  struck 
Jack  as  a  little  overdone  had  he  not  been  too  per 
turbed  to  notice. 

"  Why  -  -  but  —  "  Jack  began  ;  "  I  had  no 
idea"- 

"  Did  you  fancy  we  were  here  for  the  summer  ?  " 
queried  Katrine  with  demure  interest. 

The  hint  of  teasing  in  her  tone  brought  Castle- 
port  to  himself.  Half  his  social  success  lay  in  the 
fact  that  he  was  not  easily  disconcerted. 

"As  Mrs.  Fairhew  was  good  enough  to  tell  me 
her  plans,"  he  returned  coolly,  "  I  naturally  un 
derstood  that  you  were  to  leave  here  before  long, 
but  I  admit  I  had  n't  thought  you  would  go  so 
soon." 

"  You  see,"  Mrs.  Fairhew  explained,  "  we  really 
must  get  on.  Katrine  has  to  do  museums  and 
things,  as  I  told  you.  When  I  was  a  girl  it 
would  n't  have  been  thought  respectable  for  a  girl 


134  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

to  come  out  before  she  'd  seen  the  Pitti  and  Uffizzi ; 
but  it 's  all  different  now." 

"What  nonsense,  Aunt  Anne!  I  don't  believe 
you  'd  seen  the  galleries  yourself  when  you  came 

L-       » 

out. 

"Indeed  I  had.  I  '11  make  you  read  all  the 
finest  print  in  the  guide-books  if  you  are  imperti 
nent.  We  take,"  she  added,  turning  to  Castle- 
port,  "the  3.08  for  Genoa." 

Jack  was  by  nature  quick  and  resolute ;  and 
before  Mrs.  Fairhew  had  got  to  this  remark  he 
had  conceived  a  plan,  and  resolved  to  follow  it 
out.  Gravely  regarding  the  thicket  of  oleanders 
behind  Miss  Marchfield,  yet  with  the  tail  of  his 
eye  on  the  face  of  Jerry,  which  was  alternately 
lighted  and  obscured  as  his  cigarette  glowed  or 
waned,  the  captain  remarked  coolly  :  — 

"That 's  a  curious  coincidence." 

"Coincidence?"  repeated  Mrs.  Fairhew  ques- 
tioningly. 

"  It  would  seem  so,"  Jack  almost  drawled. 
"You  said  the  3.08,  didn't  you?  How  far  do 
you  go  ?  All  the  way  to  Genoa  ?  " 

"  Yes.  What  is  there  extraordinary  about  that  ?  " 

"Why,  nothing  much,"  returned  Jack  in  a 
brisker  tone,  throwing  away  the  butt  of  his  cigar 
ette ;  "only  —  yes  —  that's  the  very  train  I  go 


A  CHANGE  OF  TACTICS         135 

on  myself.  Same  destination,  too,  unless  I  decide 
to  stop  at  Bordighera." 

There  naturally  was  a  sensation  at  this  un 
expected  announcement.  Katrine  drew  in  her 
breath  audibly ;  in  the  very  nick  of  time  Jerry 
caught  himself  in  the  act  of  saying  profanely  what 
he  would  be  ;  Mrs.  Fairhew  closed  her  fan  quickly, 
but  she  was  too  much  mistress  of  herself  to  give 
any  indication  of  her  feelings  beyond  a  little  quick 
laugh. 

"  I  had  not  remembered  that  you  spoke  of 
going,"  she  said. 

"  No  ?  "  Jack  said  politely. 

"But,"  gasped  Jerry,  "I  say  —  you  know,  I 
say  "  - 

Evidently  his  feelings  were  too  much  for  him, 
and  he  collapsed.  So  sudden  a  move  on  the  part 
of  Jack  was  sure  to  disconcert  his  slower-witted 
comrade,  and  the  captain  had  fortunately  been 
prepared  by  previous  experiences  for  some  mental 
confusion  on  the  part  of  the  mate. 

"Yes,  Jerry?"   he  asked. 

"  Nothing —  I  —  I  don't  remember  what  I  was 
going  to  say,"  murmured  the  bewildered  Tab. 

"  Really,"  observed  Mrs.  Fairhew,  "  it  had  n't 
occurred  to  me  that  you  could  or  would  leave  the 
yacht.  What  becomes  of  her?  " 


136  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

"  Oh,  you  don't  doubt  Jerry,  do  you?  He's 
going  to  take  her  in  charge." 

Once  determined  upon  his  plan,  Jack  felt  it 
best  to  carry  matters  off  with  a  high  hand.  He 
did  not  in  the  least  care  whether  Mrs.  Fairhew 
and  Katrine  suspected  that  his  resolution  to  go  on 
by  land  had  been  taken  on  the  spot  or  not ;  but 
he  liked  to  play  the  game  well,  and  to  put  a  good 
face  on  things.  He  spoke  as  though  his  mind  had 
been  made  up  long  before,  although  all  the  time 
his  brain  was  working  with  furious  energy,  as  he 
tried  to  shape  the  scheme  thoroughly  and  to  fore 
see  all  possible  contingencies.  To  give  over  to 
Jerry  the  care  of  the  President's  yacht  was  a  bold 
stroke,  but  he  said  to  himself  that  he  was  confident 
his  friend  was  entirely  competent  to  manage  her 
for  the  comparatively  short  run  to  Naples  ;  and 
his  thought  nimbly  disposed  of  objection  after 
objection  as  they  rose  in  his  mind. 

Rapid  as  had  been  his  decision,  it  was  less  wild 
than  it  might  seem  ;  and  by  the  time  he  spoke 
again  Jack  had  all  the  details  pretty  well  mastered. 

"Do  you  leave  the  Merle  here?"  inquired 
Mrs.  Fairhew. 

Katrine,  Jack  noted,  had  said  nothing,  but  he 
had  heard  that  quick,  indrawn  breath,  and  he  did 
not  believe  that  her  silence  arose  from  indifference. 


A  CHANGE  OF  TACTICS         137 

**  Oh,  no ;  Jerry 's  going  to  take  her  to  Naples," 
was  Castleport's  cool  reply. 

It  was  to  Tab's  credit  that  at  this  astounding 
piece  of  intelligence  he  did  not  make  a  violent 
demonstration  ;  but  he  was  not  unaccustomed  to 
the  rapidity  with  which  Jack  came  to  a  decision, 
and  he  had  before  been  trained  in  accepting  what 
his  captain  said.  Now  he  only  dropped  his  cigar 
ette,  and  on  picking  it  up  put  the  lighted  end  be 
tween  his  lips,  spluttered  and  smothered  a  profane 
comment,  and  hurled  the  offending  butt  as  far  as 
he  could. 

"  Have  another  ?  "  asked  Jack,  unruffled,  as  he 
pushed  his  case  across  the  little  table  by  which 
they  were  sitting. 

"  Thank  you,  no  !  "  replied  Tab  with  quite  un 
necessary  emphasis. 

"  You  've  no  need  to  touch  your  lips  with  fire, 
Mr.  Taberman,"  Mrs.  Fairhew  observed,  open 
ing  and  closing  her  fan  in  a  way  which  she  had 
when  amused ;  "  you  have  been  sufficiently  elo 
quent  in  compliments  ever  since  you  arrived. 
May  we  hope,  then,"  she  went  on,  turning  to 
Castleport,  "  for  the  pleasure  of  your  company  on 
the  journey  ?  " 

"If  you  and  Miss  Marchfield  do  not  object,  I 
shall  be  delighted." 


138  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

"  It  will  be  a  great  pleasure  to  me.  Of  course 
I  can't  speak  for  Katrine." 

Jack  turned  to  look  at  Katrine.  On  her  face 
the  soft  light  of  a  Japanese  lantern  fell  between  a 
couple  of  trees,  but  she  at  once  moved  so  that 
the  shadows  hid  her  expression. 

"Nothing  could  please  me  more,  Aunt  Anne, 
than  that  you  should  be  pleased,"  she  responded. 

"  Then  you  had  better  bring  Mr.  Taberman 
and  your  luggage  ashore,  and  come  to  luncheon 
to-morrow,"  the  aunt  said,  rising.  "  In  that  way 
we  can  take  our  time  and  be  comfortable.  Does 
that  suit  your  plans,  Mr.  Castleport  ?  " 

Jack  detected  the  suspicion  of  mirth  in  her  voice, 
but  he  felt  that  if  she  had  disapproved  she  would 
not  only  have  shown  no  amusement  but  that  she 
was  clever  enough  to  have  thwarted  his  scheme. 

"  I  don't  want  to  abuse  your  hospitality,"  he 
said. 

"  Oh,  we  shall  make  you  useful  as  an  escort, 
and  get  enough  service  out  of  you  on  the  journey 
to  pay  that,"  spoke  Katrine,  with  the  air  of  feeling 
that  she  had  been  too  noticeably  silent. 

"  We  're  only  too  delighted  to  come,  of  course," 
Jerry  said  with  boyish  enthusiasm.  "  Anybody  'd 
be  glad  of  a  chance  to  lunch  with  you,  Mrs.  Fair- 
hew." 


A  CHANGE  OF  TACTICS         139 

"  Your  compliments  are  rather  direct,  Mr.  Tab- 
erman,"  that  lady  answered  with  a  laugh.  "We  '11 
say  1.30,  then.  That  will  give  us  plenty  of  time. 
I  hate  to  be  hurried ;  it  is  so  undignified." 

As  Mrs.  Fairhew  had  risen  the  others  were  of 
course  on  their  feet,  and  as  Jack  stood  aside  for 
Katrine  to  pass  him,  the  elder  lady  took  his  arm. 
By  this  she  detained  him  an  instant,  until  her 
niece  and  Jerry  were  a  few  yards  away.  When 
they  approached  the  door  of  the  hotel  and  it  was 
light  enough  for  him  to  see  her  clearly,  she 
dropped  his  arm  ;  and  as  he  turned  his  face  to 
ward  her  at  the  movement,  she  regarded  him 
through  her  lorgnette  with  a  look  quizzical  though 
kindly. 

"  You  are  a  clever  boy,"  she  said  after  a  little, 
and  with  a  peculiar  faint  stress  on  the  adjective. 
"  Do  you  want  to  marry  my  niece  ? " 

Jack  of  course  recognized  that  the  question 
would  never  have  been  asked  had  there  been  any 
doubt  of  the  answer,  and  even  in  the  confusion  of 
the  moment  he  had  a  dim  perception  that  Mrs. 
Fairhew  was,  with  kindly  whim,  helping  him  to 
ask  her  sanction  to  his  wooing..  He  felt  his  cheeks 
grow  hot,  but  he  faced  his  inquisitor  frankly,  and 
he  spoke  with  a  manner  which  though  instinctively 
subdued  was  full  of  energy  and  feeling. 


140  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

"  You  know  I  do,"  he  said.  "  You  know  I  'd 
die  the  worst  of  deaths  for  her.  I  —  As  God  's 
above  me,"  he  burst  out,  breaking  off  and  feel 
ing  himself  strangle  with  his  emotion,  "  I  '11  win 
her  or  die  trying  !  I  —  I  —  Of  course  I  want 
to  marry  her !  What  do  you  suppose  I  came  to 
Europe  for  ? " 

Mrs.  Fairhew's  face  softened,  for  no  true  wo 
man  could  have  heard  the  passion  of  his  voice 
unmoved ;  but  she  laughed  at  the  sudden  change 
with  which  he  ended. 

"  I  hope  you  may  succeed,"  she  said  softly. 
"  I  think  you  will."  Then  she  took  his  arm  again, 
and  spoke  in  her  ordinary  voice  :  "  Come,  we  must 
go  in." 

"  Now,  then,  Jack,  in  the  name  of  heaven," 
demanded  Jerry,  as  soon  as  he  and  the  captain 
were  out  of  hearing  of  the  ladies,  "  what  is  this 
awful  josh  of  yours  about  leaving  the  yacht  ?  " 

"  I  '11  tell  you  when  we  get  aboard,"  his  friend 
answered.  "  Don't  bother  me  now ;  I  'm  think- 
ing." 

Tab  snorted  contemptuously,  and  in  silence  the 
pair  held  on  until  they  reached  the  quay.  The 
cutter  awaited  them,  and  still  in  silence  they  were 
pulled  out  to  the  Merle.  There  was  not  a  breath 


A  CHANGE  OF  TACTICS         141 

of  wind  now ;  the  stars  blazed  brilliantly  above 
them,  and  not  a  cloud-blot  was  to  be  seen.  In  a 
stillness  broken  only  by  the  rhythmical  oar-strokes 
the  pair  watched  the  myriad  star-points  which 
dotted  the  heavens  as  they  had  adorned  it  centu 
ries  before  when  old  Nice  was  new  Nicaea,  and 
some  brown  Sicilian  pilot  may  have  gazed  up  at 
them  and  made  haven  by  their  faithful  guidance. 

No  sooner  were  they  aboard  than  Gonzague 
came  to  ask  if  they  would  have  supper. 

"  Oh,  I  don't  know,"  Jack  answered,  still  in  a 
dream  from  the  spell  of  Mrs.  Fairhew's  words. 

"Well,  I  do,"  put  in  Jerry.  "We'll  have 
some  caviare  sandwiches,  Gonzague,  and  a  glass 
of  sherry." 

The  supper  was  eaten  almost  in  silence,  and  it 
was  not  until  Gonzague  had  taken  away  the  things 
and  left  them  with  pipes  lighted  that  the  inevitable 
explanation  was  reached. 

"  Now  then  ?  "  said  Tab  impatiently. 

His  face  wore  a  sober  expression,  full  of  expec 
tancy,  but  not  without  a  hint  of  annoyance  and 
reproach.  Jack  blew  a  large  smoke-ring  at  him, 
and  laughed  to  see  how  in  dodging  it  Jerry  kept 
his  solemnity  unchanged. 

"Well,  Tab,"  he  began,  "  I  don't  suppose  it's 
necessary  to  say  that  the  idea  of  leaving  the  yacht 


i42  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

never  came  into  my  head  till  I  knew  Mrs.  Fairhew 
and  Katr  —  Miss  Marchfield  were  off  to-morrow." 

"  Heave  ahead,"  grumpily  retorted  Jerry. 
"  Don't  mind  me.  Of  course  I  shall  be  delighted 
to  be  left  alone  on  the  yacht." 

"  Come,  cheer  up,  old  man,"  Jack  exhorted. 
"  Don't  be  grouchy.  I  'm  awfully  sorry  to  leave 
you  ;  but  of  course  it 's  only  for  a  little  while,  and 
we  shall  both  have  compensations.  I  hope  I  shall 
be  coming  nearer  to  —  to  —  well,  to  something 
definite,  you  know ;  and  you  '11  have  the  Merle 
to  do  what  you  jolly  well  please  with." 

"  That 's  all  very  well,  of  course,"  Tab  re 
sponded,  his  face  relaxing  a  little  ;  "  but  what 's 
your  game  ?  We  've  beastly  little  money,  you 
know ;  and  this  shore  cruise  of  yours  is  bound  to 
sop  up  a  lot  of  tin." 

"We  've  money  enough  to  carry  us  through," 
Jack  declared.  "  I  '11  go  to  Genoa,  of  course.  I 
know  Italy  pretty  well,  and  I  can  make  myself 
useful, —  sort  of  c  guide,  philosopher,  and  friend,' 
and  courier  all  in  one.  When  they  go  on  to  Na 
ples, —  well,  from  something  Mrs.  Fairhew  said 
to-night,  I  think  I  shan't  have  any  difficulty  going 
on  to  Naples  with  them.  A  man  's  a  handy  article 
in  traveling,  you  see,  especially  if  he  knows  the 
language." 


A  CHANGE  OF  TACTICS         143 

Jerry  regarded  the  captain  as  if  his  slower  wits 
found  it  somewhat  hard  to  follow  the  swift  flights 
of  his  friend's  mind. 

"  But  the  Merle  ?  "  he  objected.  "  It 's  bad 
enough  for  you  to  be  skylarking  about  the  world 
with  the  President's  yacht,  but  when  it  comes  to 
turning  it  over  to  me  —  Why,  the  old  gentleman 
would  throw  five  hundred  fits  at  the  bare  idea." 

"  Oh,  I  '11  trust  you  there,"  Jack  said  lightly, 
consciously  trying  to  make  his  confidence  as  flat 
tering  as  possible.  "  You  can  manage,  and  do  as 
you  please  for  the  next  month.  Who  ever  heard 
of  a  mate  that  did  n't  jump  at  the  chance  of  taking 
command  for  a  while.  I  'd  advise  you  to  stop,  say, 
at  Elba,  if  you  're  for  doing  the  sights.  Then,  if 
you  like,  while  you  're  on  the  Napoleonic  tack, 
you  might  run  'round  to  Ajaccio.  It's  an  out-of- 
the-way  place,  rather,  but  it 's  jolly  when  you  get 
there.  As  for  Elba,  I  've  never  been  ashore  there, 
though  I  Ve  passed  it  and  know  the  chap  that 
owns  it.  1  '11  give  you  a  letter  in  case  you  want 
to  go  ashore." 

"  But,  Jack—  Damn  it !  "  broke  out  Jerry,  as 
if  exasperated  by  the  very  feasibility  of  his  friend's 
sudden  change  of  tactics,  "  I  can't  speak  a  word 
of  their  blessed  lingo  !  " 

"  Pooh  !  Your  French  will  carry  you  about  well 


144  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

enough,  and  if  worst  comes  to  worst,  you  can  fall 
back  on  Gonzague.  At  Naples  you  '11  find  them 
speaking  English  all  over  the  lot." 

"  Jack  Castleport,  you  're  certainly  the  damned 
est  man  to  handle  I  ever  came  across,"  Jerry  said 
in  despairing  tones.  "  A  fellow  might  as  well  try 
to  bully-rag  a  sea-cow  as  to  argue  you  out  of  any 
of  your  confounded  schemes." 

"  That 's  because  they  're  so  good,"  laughed 
Jack.  "  You  see  their  profound  wisdom  carries 
me  away  so  completely  that  objections  can't  touch 
me."  Then  he  stretched  his  hand  across  the  table 
corner,  and  caught  hold  of  J  erry's.  "  I  'm  deuced 
sorry  to  give  you  the  slip  like  this,"  he  said,  "  but 
you  know  the  reason." 

The  good-natured  Tab  melted  at  once.  He  re 
turned  the  pressure  of  his  friend's  hand  and  tried 
to  quote 

"  But  when  a  woman's  in  the  case, 

All  other  things,  you  know,  give  place  ;  " 

but  made  so  hopeless  a  mess  of  it  that  he  could 
only  break  out  into  one  of  his  boisterously  jovial 
guffaws. 

"Well,  by  George,"  he  cried,  "if  she  only 
knew  how  devoted  you  are,  Jack,  she  'd  let  you 
wait  a  dog's  age,  just  to  try  you." 


A  CHANGE  OF  TACTICS         145 

They  spent  an  hour  or  so  in  arranging  details, 
going  over  charts,  dividing  their  funds,  and  so  on. 
Jack  gave  Tab  addresses  at  Genoa,  Florence,  and 
Rome  by  which  he  might  be  reached,  and  told  him 
that  at  Naples  he  should  go  to  the  Hotel  du 
Vesuve.  On  the  twentieth  of  August  Jerry  was  to 
inquire  for  him  there.  These  and  other  affairs 
having  been  arranged,  the  pair  smoked  a  final 
pipe,  and  turned  in. 

Jack  was  very  wakeful.  He  lay  thinking  of 
this  and  of  that,  restlessly  tossing  about  in  his 
berth.  Just  as  at  last  he  was  dropping  off  to  sleep, 
he  was  aroused  by  the  voice  of  Jerry,  who  called 
softly  across  the  passage  :  — 

"  I  say,  Jack,  —  are  you  awake  ?  " 

"  Almost,"  replied  Jack  ;  "  but  I  should  n't 
have  been,  if  you'd  let  me  alone." 

"  I  say,  Jacko,  do  you  fancy  the  President  came 
a  cropper  in  that  Tillington  smashup  ?  " 

"  Don't  know,"  Jack  answered.  "  He  's  pretty 
shrewd,  and  Mrs.  Fairhew  would  have  been  likely 
to  hear  of  it,  I  should  think,  if  he  had  come  se 
riously  to  grief." 

"  Well,  you  know,  it  struck  me  that  perhaps 
that  beastly  letter  from  Tillington  might  have 
been  something  important,  and"  — 

"  Oh,    take    a    liver-pill !  "    interrupted    Jack. 


146  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

"  You  've  got  an  attack  of  Conscientia  Novangli- 
cana." 

"  What 's  that  ?  " 

"Forerunner  of  nervous  pros.,"  replied  the  cap 
tain  with  a  chuckle.  "  Go  to  sleep  or  you  '11  get  it." 

"Well,  good-night." 

"  Good-night,  boy." 

Silence  again  reigned,  but  Jack,  once  more 
aroused,  threshed  about  uneasily  until  far  into  the 
night.  Resolutely  as  he  might  determine  not  to 
think  of  the  possible  consequences  of  the  carrying 
off  of  that  big  blue  letter,  he  could  not  prevent 
doubt  from  recurring  constantly  to  his  mind,  and 
something  not  so  far  removed  from  remorse 
mingled  with  his  thoughts  of  Katrine  and  of  the 
delight  of  traveling  in  her  company.  He  was  so 
long  awake  that  on  the  next  afternoon  Mrs. 
Fairhew,  when  he  had  installed  her  and  her  niece 
comfortably  in  a  first-class  compartment  on  the 
3.08  train,  and  they  were  beginning  to  see  the 
olive  groves  and  the  villas  slip  picturesquely  past 
the  windows,  noted  the  shadows  beneath  his  eyes, 
and  smiled  to  herself  discreetly  and  unseen. 


Chapter  Nine 

THE     DOLDRUMS 

FOR  two  weeks  the  Merle  had  been  lying  at  anchor 
at  Naples.  From  Nice  she  had  run  first  to  Elba ; 
thence  she  had  doubled  north  again  and  rounded 
Corsica ;  she  had  touched  at  Calvi  and  Ajaccio  ; 
and  lastly,  running  through  the  Straits  of  Bonifacio, 
she  had  held  on  east-southeasterly  to  her  present 
anchorage  off  the  Castle. 

Despite  the  novel  pleasures  of  command,  Taber- 
man  felt  Jack's  absence  so  much  as  at  times  to  be 
almost  unhappy,  even  at  times  a  little  inclined  to 
be  resentful.  He  was  still  too  boyish  not  to  feel 
that  to  leave  a  yacht  for  a  girl  was  the  height  of 
madness,  if  not  of  idiocy  ;  and  while  he  was  too 
loyal  to  Jack  to  confess  this  feeling  even  to  him 
self,  it  would  at  times  rise  in  his  mind,  especially 
when  he  felt  more  than  usually  lonely.  On  his 
arrival  at  any  port  Jerry  experienced  to  the  full 
the  excitement  which  even  the  oldest  traveler  feels 
in  some  degree  at  entering  a  new  town.  Whenever 


148  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

the  port  officer  appeared  in  his  official  dignity, 
another  sensation  was  added  in  the  fear  of  detec 
tion  and  apprehension.  A  reaction  would  set  in 
with  the  departure  of  the  easily  satisfied  official, 
and  Jerry  would  go  mooning  about  with  his  hands 
in  his  pockets,  whistling  some  spiritless  tune  until 
the  time  came  to  get  up  anchor  and  sail  anew. 

At  Naples,  however,  things  went  somewhat 
better  with  Jerry  than  at  any  of  his  previous  ports. 
In  the  first  place  even  Jerry,  unaesthetic  as  he  was, 
could  not  escape  the  magic  of  the  beautiful  bay 
and  the  surroundings  which  opened  up  before  him 
in  the  morning  light  as  he  approached  the  city. 
He  said  to  himself,  half  as  if  in  excuse  for  being 
so  much  pleased  by  mere  scenery,  that  it  looked 
as  it  should.  It  had,  as  it  were,  kept  faith  with 
him  ;  and  its  beauty  was  to  him  an  honest  fulfill 
ment  of  its  fame.  The  gray  cone  of  Vesuvius, 
palpably  and  gratifyingly  like  the  pictures,  stood 
at  the  head  of  the  bay,  crowned  with  an  inky 
cloud  of  smoke.  Away  from  it  to  the  south 
stretched  the  cliffs  of  blue  Sorrento  and  bluer 
Capri,  melting  magically  into  a  background  of 
hills  or  of  the  azure  sky.  On  the  north  of  the 
smoking  cone  a  stretch  of  shadow-wrought  shore, 
and  then  Naples  itself,  from  the  old  Spanish  fort 
on  the  water-front  to  the  Castle  of  St.  Elmo,  long 


THE  DOLDRUMS  149 

and  gray,  crowning  the  summit  of  the  ridge  be 
hind,  and  the  stone-pines  silhouetted  like  palms 
against  the  sapphire  sky.  Naples,  with  its  great 
four-square  houses  of  pink,  and  white,  and  yellow, 
heaped,  as  it  were,  one  above  another ;  its  red-tiled 
roofs,  its  terraces  tricked  out  with  vines  or  fig-trees  ; 
Naples,  with  its  church  roofs  of  variegated  tiles, 
its  long  quays  yellowish  gray  about  the  shore  — 
Jerry  could  well  have  believed  himself  in  some 
enchanted  picture  city,  a  city  which  might  almost 
be  expected  to  vanish  suddenly  if  one  should  close 
the  book  it  graced. 

Behind  the  Government  Mole  were  lying  five 
Italian  battleships,  their  big  red,  white,  and  green 
flags  floating  over  their  sterns,  and  everywhere 
over  the  liquid  blue  of  the  bay  sailed  fisher-craft 
and  small  boats,  gilded  with  the  morning  light. 

Scarcely  was  the  Merle's  anchor  down  than  the 
yacht  was  surrounded  by  a  gay  flotilla  of  boats, 
all  laden  with  piles  of  fruit  or  vegetables,  and 
manned  by  crews  as  noisy  as  they  were  picturesque. 
Baskets  heaped  with  figs,  great  piles  of  green 
melons,  lemons,  citrons,  plums,  fresh  vegetables 
of  all  sorts,  were  there ;  and  each  ware  was  ex 
tolled  by  the  vendors  with  vociferous  volubility, 
until  the  ears  of  Jerry  fairly  sang  with  the  din. 
From  the  crowding  boats  screamed  blowsy,  dark- 


150  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

eyed  women  with  brown  oval  faces  and  raiment 
of  reds  and  yellows  ;  boys  with  Greek  faces  and 
slim  bare  arms  yelled  with  shrill  voices  ;  doddering 
old  men,  sitting  in  the  stern-sheets  of  skiffs  pulled 
by  impish  youngsters,  waved  impotent  hands  and 
moved  toothless  mouths  whose  sounds  were  lost 
in  the  feverish  uproar  ;  stalwart  market-men,  with 
brown,  wrinkled  faces  and  hairy  bosoms  exposed, 
fought  their  way  through  the  press,  disregarding 
age,  sex,  and  condition  in  their  effort  to  be  nearest 
the  possible  purchasers  on  the  Merle ;  all  around 
the  yacht  the  piratical  water-peddlers  made  a 
floating  Pandemonium,  at  which  the  Yankee  crew 
stared  not  only  in  surprise  but  with  some  appear 
ance  of  not  unnatural  alarm. 

As  an  opposing  bulwark  to  this  flood  of  south 
ern  vivacity,  old  Gonzague  alone  stood  as  the 
spokesman  of  the  yacht.  Requested  by  Jerry  to 
make  the  vendors  "  stow  their  jaw,"  he  laid  about 
him  right  and  left  with  a  profane  volubility  which 
outdid  even  that  of  the  assailants.  The  old  man 
had  not  spoken  Italian  for  so  long  that  he  might 
well  be  supposed  to  have  forgotten  it,  but  the 
occasion  found  him  splendidly  adequate  to  all  the 
requirements  of  the  situation.  The  Neapolitans 
raved  and  pleaded,  execrated  and  lowered  their 
prices,  with  appeals  to  the  Madonna  and  all  the 


THE  DOLDRUMS  151 

saints  to  witness  their  honesty  and  their  liberality; 
but  once  the  floodgates  of  Gonzague's  Italian 
were  opened,  he  dealt  with  them  so  eloquently 
and  so  roundly,  his  objurgations  were  so  much 
more  picturesque  and  more  emphatic  than  any 
they  could  compass,  that  one  by  one  they  drew 
away  baffled,  calling  on  high  Heaven  and  the 
blessed  Virgin  to  protect  them  when  Vesuvius 
should  belch  forth  a  torrent  of  fire  to  overwhelm 
this  blasphemous  and  impious  vecchiastro. 

Gonzague  was  perhaps  sustained  under  the  vol 
leys  of  curses  which  the  defeated  bumboat  men 
and  women  threw  back  at  him,  by  the  admiration 
with  which  he  was  regarded  by  the  crew  of  the 
Merle.  They  had  come  to  idolize  the  old  man, 
and  to  look  upon  him  with  roughly  affectionate 
wonder.  The  beauty  of  the  scenes  through  which 
they  had  been  passing  in  the  Mediterranean  had 
of  course  impressed  them  very  little  aesthetically, 
and  Naples  with  its  matchless  bay  they  saw  only 
with  the  eyes  of  Isle  au  Haut  fishermen.  They 
were,  however,  never  tired  of  wonders.  The  child 
like  sailor  nature  is  always  easily  touched  by  the 
marvelous,  and  a  real  volcano  was  something 
worth  seeing.  As  long  as  the  Merle  was  in  sight 
of  Vesuvius  they  would  hang  over  the  rail  and 
watch  it  for  hours.  If  the  smoke  ceased  they 


152  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

would  cluster  together  and  discuss  the  probable 
causes  ;  they  would  talk  of  the  mountain  as  if  it 
were  a  conscious  monster,  lying  in  wait  for  prey, 
whose  every  movement  was  to  be  watched  with  a 
view  to  detecting  the  sinister  design  that  must  lie 
behind  it.  When  a  great  dun  cloud  would  sud 
denly  puff  up  from  the  cone,  the  men  would  greet 
it  with  deep  exclamations  half  of  awe  and  half  of 
applause.  Continually  they  beset  Gonzague  with 
questions,  as  if  he  were  the  keeper  or  the  high 
priest  of  this  fiery  monster.  They  apparently  had 
complete  confidence  that  Gonzague  could  explain 
it  all  if  he  would.  His  knowledge  of  the  language 
and  such  use  of  it  as  he  made  in  dispersing  the 
voluble  rabble  of  vendors  were  exactly  in  the  line 
of  their  understanding,  and  they  followed  his  every 
movement  with  an  admiration  amusingly  tinged 
with  something  not  unlike  uncouth  reverence. 

On  the  afternoon  of  his  arrival  at  Naples  Taber- 
man  had  gone  ashore.  He  had  landed  at  the 
steamship  quay,  and  passed  half  the  night  in  an 
aimless  ramble.  There  is  something  about  Naples 
at  night  which  goes  to  the  head  like  wine ;  espe 
cially  if  the  head  is  young  and  set  on  the  shoulders 
of  one  who  has  never  before  known  the  life  of 
southern  cities.  Jerry  walked  from  the  railroad 
station  to  the  Public  Gardens,  and  from  the  Mola 


THE  DOLDRUMS  153 

to  the  Hotel  Britannique  upon  the  heights.  He 
attempted  no  systematic  exploration,  but  simply 
wandered  with  no  other  object  than  the  simple 
delight  of  rambling.  By  daylight  the  picturesque 
streets  ;  the  variegated  rabble,  ragged,  dirty,  beau 
tiful,  impudent,  at  once  repulsive  and  enchanting; 
the  crooked,  crowded  ways  that  climb  the  hill ;  the 
awnings,  the  heaps  of  fruit,  the  strange  wares, 
the  familiar  air  of  the  family  life  which  made  of 
the  streets  a  home,  and  seemed  to  turn  all  the  in 
habitants  of  the  town  into  one  huge  family ;  the 
unconsciously  artistic  groups,  the  tumbling  bambini, 
the  women,  bold,  piquant,  handsome,  or  ugly  with 
a  hideousness  of  which  Jerry  had  never  conceived, 
—  all  these  things  passed  before  him  like  the  whirl 
ing  shows  of  an  opium  dream.  As  night  fell,  and 
the  lights  appeared,  the  scenes  through  which  he 
went  half  dazed  and  wholly  delighted  took  on  a 
new  quality  of  the  weird  and  fantastic.  The  flaring 
lamps,  the  mysterious  shadows,  the  blazing  colors 
which  not  even  the  night  could  subdue,  the  the 
atrical  effects  seen  down  the  narrow  streets  as  on 
a  stage  set  for  opera,  the  inexhaustible  vivacity, 
which  seemed  not  to  diminish  with  the  lateness  of 
the  hour,  all  blended  in  an  intoxicating  experience 
such  as  Taberman  had  never  known,  and  indeed 
such  as  had  never  come  into  his  liveliest  fancy. 


i54  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

The  next  day  Jerry  went  ashore  in  the  morning, 
and  set  himself  to  more  regular  sight-seeing  under 
the  care  of  a  professional  guide.  He  went  over 
the  famous  Museum,  saw  Vergil's  Tomb,  Posilipo, 
Sanazar's  house,  and  Marti's  pozzo.  After  a  capi 
tal  luncheon  in  one  of  the  cafes  in  the  Arcade,  he 
rejoined  his  guide,  who  took  him  to  the  Aquarium. 
On  the  way  they  stopped  at  the  Royal  Palace  and 
the  Morro,  Tab  being  duly  impressed  by  the 
grandeur  of  royalty  and  the  majesty  of  the  law. 
Continually  he  wished  that  Jack  were  with  him, 
for  he  had  so  fallen  into  the  habit  of  depending  on 
Jack  for  opinions  that  without  his  friend  his  im 
pressions  seemed  to  lack  the  clearness  of  sanction. 
When  it  came  to  the  Aquarium,  however,  not  only 
did  the  things  he  had  seen  in  his  day's  explora 
tions  fade  from  his  mind,  but  he  was  too  delighted 
not  to  know  exactly  what  he  felt. 

The  Aquarium  of  Naples  is  by  far  the  most 
wonderful  in  the  world.  It  is  smaller  and  less 
elaborate  than  others,  as,  for  instance,  that  of  the 
Trocadero,  but  it  outranks  all  in  interest  and  im- 
pressiveness.  The  virtue  of  the  place  lies  in  its 
simplicity  of  construction  and  in  the  rarity  of  its 
exhibits.  A  sense  of  restful  shadow  and  coolness 
succeeding  to  outside  glare  and  heat ;  a  dim  green 
ish  light  in  broad,  glass-faced  tanks  of  sea-water; 


THE  DOLDRUMS  155 

an  odd  feeling  of  being  fathoms  deep  in  a  tropical 
sea,  —  these  are  the  sensations  the  visitor  has  first 
in  this  wonderful  home  of  strange  fish  in  exile. 

Tab  made  the  rounds  half  a  dozen  times  before 
he  could  bring  himself  to  leave.  Quite  unscientific, 
but  as  enthusiastic  as  a  boy,  he  stood  in  front  of 
each  tank,  and  tried  vainly  to  determine  which  was 
most  fascinating.  Here  were  spiny  lobster-like 
Crustacea,  spotted  with  a  dozen  colors  ;  there  were 
beautiful  fish  with  shining  iridescent  sides  and 
waving  filmy,  vaporous  tails ;  one  tank  was  in 
habited  by  repulsive,  warty  octopi,  splotched  with 
dull  browns  and  plague-spots  of  ugly  red,  which 
melted  and  slimed  about,  so  disgusting  that  they 
seemed  almost  obscene  ;  from  another  a  huge  sea 
python,  with  body  as  large  as  the  thigh  of  a  man 
and  a  head  like  that  of  a  bald  wolf,  seemed  to  grin 
with  sinister,  snarling  face  at  Jerry,  while  all  about 
the  monster  bloated  globe-fish  and  distorted  marine 
shapes  swam  and  circled  ;  in  a  corner  tank  a  brood 
of  asp-like  fish,  with  skins  that  seemed  of  richest 
velvet,  dusky  and  wonderful  in  hue,  lay  heaped 
like  incarnate  poison  ;  and  near  by  the  angel-fish 
went  waving  and  trailing  their  way  about  the  sand. 
Jerry  was  perhaps  most  impressed,  however,  by 
the  mysterious  life  which  went  on  in  a  tank  to 
which  he  came  among  the  last.  Thin,  slow-waving 


156  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

filaments  of  colorless  jelly,  crowned  with  diaphanous 
cups,  not  differing  greatly  from  the  poppy-flower 
in  shape  ;  and  near  them  other  forms,  transparent, 
hardly  more  than  condensed  sea-water  in  appear 
ance,  yet  with  slow  pulsations,  continuous  and  won 
derful,  of  phosphoric  sparks,  —  as  if  one  saw  life 
itself  throbbing  rhythmically  in  the  pellucid  hairs 
of  jelly. 

Jerry  had  not  been  so  completely  happy  since 
he  parted  from  Jack.  He  reveled  in  a  boyish  de 
light,  and  let  no  wonder  of  the  place  escape  him. 
He  tipped  the  keeper  to  feed  the  octopi  with 
young  crabs,  lowered  on  a  string  ;  he  took  a  smart 
electric  shock  from  a  morose  torpedo  which  lay 
sulkily  in  a  small  open  tub  with  a  pebbly  bottom  ; 
he  had  the  big  anemones  and  the  coral-polyps 
"  put  to  sleep,"  in  the  words  of  his  guide,  —  an 
operation  consisting  simply  of  the  moving  in  the 
water  of  a  small  stick  which  caused  them  to  close 
in  alarm ;  he  did,  in  a  word,  everything  his  guide 
could  think  of  for  him  to  do,  and  went  away  in  the 
end  only  half  content  to  leave. 

After  the  Aquarium,  Jerry  turned  a  deaf  ear  to 
the  alluring  speeches  of  the  guide,  the  burden 
of  whose  song  was  all  of  curiosities  unseen  and 
of  pleasures  untasted.  He  paid  the  importunate 
manikin,  and  made  his  way  back  to  the  Merle. 


THE  DOLDRUMS  157 

The  truth  was  that  he  had  seen  something  which 
thoroughly  pleased  him,  and  after  that  it  was 
impossible  to  return  to  the  perfunctory  seeing  of 
regulation  sights  which  really  did  not  take  hold 
of  him  in  the  least. 

Before  the  first  week  was  ended,  Jerry  had  vis 
ited  Pompeii  and  Baiae,  and  what  was  to  be  seen 
of  Herculaneum.  He  had  made  some  purchases  ; 
and  then  he  began  to  wait  about,  ashore  or  aboard, 
for  Jack.  That  gentleman  had  written  no  response 
to  Tab's  letter  announcing  the  arrival  of  the  Merle 
at  Naples,  and  Jerry  could  only  think  of  him  as 
so  absorbed  in  his  wooing  as  to  have  forgotten  all 
about  his  friend.  Some  not  unnatural  jealousy  be 
gan  to  ferment  in  his  mind,  and  did  not  add  to  his 
comfort.  By  the  advice  of  Gonzague  he  took  the 
market-boat,  and  setting  out  early  one  morning  he 
sailed  with  a  couple  of  the  men  across  the  bay  to 
Capri,  where  he  passed  the  day.  The  only  thing 
which  cheered  him  on  his  lonely  expedition  was  a 
tarantella,  which  was  danced  for  his  diversion  by 
a  romantic-looking  raggaza,  with  black  eyes  and 
short  petticoats.  The  moonlight  sail  back  would 
have  pleased  him  more  had  it  not  been  necessary 
to  keep  the  men  rowing  for  two  thirds  of  the  way. 
On  the  whole,  Jerry  could  find  nothing  to  please 
him  on  land  or  sea. 


158  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

The  major  part  of  the  next  week  he  had  spent 
stretched  out  in  a  cane  chaise  longue  in  the  cockpit, 
drinking  iced  sangaree  and  reading  Didron's 
Artemise.  He  had  a  fly  stretched  over  the  awning 
for  increased  coolness,  and  the  "  dusters  "  put  up 
to  shut  out  the  glare  from  the  water ;  there,  like 
some  melancholy  monarch  beneath  his  canopy,  he 
read,  dozed,  and  grumbled  —  without  even  the 
satisfaction  of  any  fit  audience  —  from  morning  to 
sundown. 

In  the  cool  of  the  evening  he  usually  went  ashore, 
and  one  night  he  was  strolling  along  the  water 
front,  stick  in  hand  and  his  Panama  set  well  back 
on  his  head.  As  he  passed  the  Hotel  du  Vesuve, 
wondering  when  Jack  would  arrive,  a  small  figure 
moved  quickly  in  front  of  him  and  bowed.  At 
first  he  was  startled,  but  almost  instantly  he  saw 
that  it  was  the  valet  de  place  who  had  gone  about 
with  him  in  the  early  days  of  his  stay  at  Naples. 

"  Hello,"  said  Jerry  in  surprise,  yet  not  without 
a  feeling  of  satisfaction  at  finding  even  this  apology 
for  a  companion. 

"  Buon  sera,  signor"  responded  the  little  man 
vivaciously.  "  How  do?  You  tek-a  de  night  air? 
E  verament'  un  bellissima  notte.  It  mek-a  cool, 
eh?" 

And  he  waved  his  arms  expressively. 


THE  DOLDRUMS  159 

He  might  have  been  thirty  or  thirty-five,  and 
had  coarse  black  hair,  with  fiery  eyes.  He  was  not 
ill-looking,  but  his  clothes  were  hopelessly  thread 
bare  and  his  face  pinched.  He  bore  dark  circles 
under  his  eyes,  and  was  in  no  way  markedly  dif 
ferent  from  others  of  his  numerous  and  futile 
class,  who,  with  a  smattering  of  French,  German, 
or  English,  struggle  desperately  for  a  livelihood 
by  acting,  not  always  very  virtuously,  as  guides  for 
traveling  fores  fieri. 

"  You  busy  ? "  Jerry  asked,  a  sudden  thought 
striking  him. 

"  No  —  no,"  replied  the  Neapolitan,  his  face  as 
eager  as  his  tone.  "  What-a  you  like  see  ?  Eh  ? 
Some  of  dose  oder  curiosities  forse  ?  "  he  asked 
with  a  suggestive  smile. 

"  Thanks,  no,"  Jerry  returned  dryly  ;  "  but  if 
you  are  n't  busy,  I  wish  you  'd  walk  along  with 
me.  I  'm  bored  —  tired  —  'most  to  death,  and  I 
fancy  you  might  tell  me  how  I  may  best  kill  time 
for  the  next  few  days." 

The  little  guide  was  delighted.  He  suggested  a 
multitude  of  things  which  might  be  done,  —  visits 
to  Castellmare  and  Sorrento  or  Amalfi;  wonders 
the  signor  had  neglected  in  the  museum;  the 
pasta  shops ;  and  so  on  for  a  variety  of  possible 
and  impossible  diversions.  But  still  Taberman 


160  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

shook  his  head.  He  wanted  to  be  amused,  but  he 
was  lonely  and  rather  homesick,  so  that  while  he 
regretted  being  so  difficult,  nothing  appealed  to 
him.  Finally,  the  guide,  quite  at  his  wit's  end  but 
still  bland,  smiling,  patient,  obsequious,  and  ap 
parently  unruffled  by  the  careless  way  in  which  the 
American  rejected  all  his  suggestions  one  after  the 
other,  mentioned  Pesto. 

"Pesto?"  queried  Tab  carelessly.  "What  is 
that?" 

"Si!  Pesto.  It  ees  dere  dey  hav-a  de  gret-a 
temple ;  t'ree  gret-a  temple,  all  put  een  de  row-a, 
—  uno,  due,  tre."  And  he  held  up  three  ringers  to 
make  his  statement  at  once  clearer  and  more  em 
phatic. 

"  Temples  ?  Real  ones  ?  "  asked  Jerry.  "  I 
mean  are  they  old — Roman,  that  is  —  or  just 
churches  ? " 

"Ma  verament',"  laughed  the  valet  de  place, 
"  ci  son'  tre  templi ;  bot-a  dey  not-a  Roman ;  dey 
Gre'k.  Fin-a,  big-a  temple ;  big-a  like  Hotel  du 
Vesuve ! " 

He  waved  his  spread  arms  as  if  he  would  em 
brace  the  universe.  Jerry  laughed  at  the  little 
man's  enthusiasm,  but  his  interest  was  excited. 

"  Greek,  eh  ?"  he  said.  "  How  far  is  it?  How 
do  you  get  there?" 


THE  DOLDRUMS  161 

The  guide  explained  volubly,  told  the  time  of 
trains  to  Passtum,  declared  that  the  trip  was  easily 
made  in  a  day,  and  proffered  his  services  as  escort. 
This  Jerry  declined,  quite  as  much  from  motives 
of  economy  as  from  any  other  reason  ;  but  he  in 
vited  the  little  guide  to  sit  down  at  one  of  the 
small  tables  on  the  sidewalk  before  Zinfoni's,  where 
he  furnished  him  with  refreshments  and  made  him 
repeat  his  account  of  the  temples,  the  details  of 
the  journey,  and  whatever  information  he  could 
furnish.  Jerry  was  really  lonely  enough  to  be 
amused  by  the  company  of  the  Neapolitan,  and  as 
he  sat  listening  and  watching  the  people  drifting 
past,  he  was  soothed  with  the  feeling  of  being  not 
so  entirely  alone.  From  Zinfoni's  the  pair  saun 
tered  down  to  the  quay,  where  they  parted.  The 
Italian  was  profuse  in  his  thanks  and  protestations, 
and  Jerry  was  considerate  enough  to  act  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  make  the  little  man  think  him  the 
most  affable  of  Inglesi. 

When  he  was  aboard  again,  Jerry  got  out  a  chart, 
and  after  some  searching  located  Paestum.  As  it 
was  not  too  far  from  Naples  to  be  possible  in  a 
day,  he  determined  upon  the  expedition.  Jack  was 
not  due  for  two  or  three  days  yet,  and  the  time 
must  be  killed  somehow.  He  summoned  Gon- 
zague,  ordered  an  early  breakfast,  told  him  he 


162  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

should  be  absent  all  the  next  day,  and  that  he 
should  leave  him  in  charge.  He  had  a  sort  of 
mild  exhilaration  at  his  boldness  in  thus  venturing 
off  into  the  midst  of  a  land  whose  language  he 
could  not  speak,  and  he  went  to  bed  that  night 
with  a  great  feeling  of  relief.  The  doldrums  were 
over ;  he  had  something  to  do  to  bridge  the  time 
until  Jack  came. 


Chapter  Ten 

MR.    WRENMARSH,    THE    EXTRAORDINARY 

ON  the  following  morning,  as,  a  few  minutes  after 
nine,  the  southbound  train  from  Naples  to  Ta- 
rento  drew  out  of  the  station,  Taberman,  winking 
a  little  at  the  sudden  glare  of  the  sun,  began  to 
look  about  him.  The  morning  promised  a  hot 
day,  and  his  comfort  in  traveling  was  likely  to  be 
lessened  by  the  fact  that  in  the  second-class  com 
partment  with  him  were  five  Italians.  They  had 
already  settled  themselves  back  against  the  cush 
ions,  turning  upward  sunburnt,  perspiring  faces, 
and  allowing  themselves  to  be  jolted  by  the  train 
like  so  many  dead-weights.  Their  ugly  straw  hats, 
high-crowned  and  narrow-brimmed,  were  set  on 
their  knees  or  wedged  beside  them  on  the  seat ; 
two  of  the  travelers  had  gay  bandannas  tucked 
into  their  collars  about  their  throats.  One  man — 
a  pursy  old  codger  in  the  corner  —  had  lighted, 
after  a  mumbled  "  con  permesso,"  a  long  Virginia, 
which  filled  the  compartment  with  a  thin  blue 
haze  and  an  acrid  smell  as  of  burning  leather. 


1 64  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

The  train  rumbled  along  over  a  dubious  road 
bed,  flanked  by  its  cinder-strewn  berms  ;  and  Tab, 
looking  through  the  window  on  his  right,  recog 
nized  the  line  as  that  by  which  he  had  gone  to 
Pompeii.  At  times  the  train  went  close  to  where 
the  curling  ripples  of  the  sapphirine  bay  were 
breaking  gently  on  the  shore ;  sometimes  it  ran 
through  small  hamlets,  and  again  passed  country 
places  where  the  busy  peasants  were  at  work  in 
the  rich  vineyards,  the  orchards,  or  the  tilled  fields. 

At  the  end  of  half  an  hour,  they  stopped  at 
Pompeii  for  a  moment,  and  Jerry,  through  the 
opposite  window,  recognized  the  station  and  the 
paltry  inn  beyond.  As  the  train  drew  out  again, 
he  caught  brief  glimpses  of  the  ancient  city,  dull 
red-brown  walls  among  the  silver-gray  of  the 
olive-trees. 

The  train  sped  on  southward.  It  dipped  into 
little  vales,  and  wound  its  way  up  and  into  the 
hills  that  ring  themselves  around  the  plain  of 
Paestum.  In  an  hour's  time  they  pulled  up  at  a 
small  town  on  the  left  of  the  track.  Jerry  made 
out  the  name  of  the  station,  enameled  in  big 
white  letters  on  a  blue  field,  Battapaglia.  The 
guard  came  by,  unlocking  the  compartment  doors, 
and  as  the  men  in  his  compartment  got  out  and 
left  their  luggage  behind  them,  Jerry  concluded 


MR.  WRENMARSH  165 

that  here  was  to  be  a  wait  of  some  minutes.  He 
therefore  followed  the  example  of  his  fellow  trav 
elers,  and  stepped  down  upon  the  sunny  plat 
form.  It  was  very  hot.  Tab  mopped  his  face 
with  his  handkerchief  and  turned  down  the  brim 
of  his  Panama  all  around. 

"  Graniti,  signor?   Citron?   Orang'?" 

A  small  boy  had  singled  him  out,  probably 
because  he  was  the  only  forestiere  on  the  platform, 
and  was  offering  him  syrupy  drinks  cooled  with 
cracked  ice.  For  a  soldo  Tab  secured  a  glass  of 
sherbet,  fruit-juice  and  water  half  frozen  and  very 
delicious.  It  was  so  refreshing  that  he  bestowed 
an  extra  soldo  on  the  vender  in  sheer  gratitude. 
The  lad  rewarded  him  with  a  curt  "grazie,"  and 
a  look  half  grateful  and  half  suspicious,  and  then 
hastened  on  to  urge  his  wares  on  other  travelers. 
Jerry  looked  after  him  in  amusement  at  the 
fringe  made  by  the  tatters  of  his  trousers,  and  in 
lazy  admiration  of  the  sinewy  brown  arms  left 
bare  by  the  sleeveless  cotton  shirt  and  of  the 
jaunty  poise  of  the  curly  head. 

The  train  still  waited. 

Jerry  lighted  a  cigarette  and  got  into  the  shadow 
of  the  cars.  Presently  a  big  express  came  thun 
dering  out  of  the  pass  in  the  hills  with  a  roar,  and 
rushed  away  to  southward  on  the  main  track. 


i66  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

"  Pronto  !  Partenza  !  Partenza  !  "  cried  the 
guard,  with  a  blast  of  his  horn. 

The  road  was  again  clear,  the  express-mail  hav 
ing  passed.  The  passengers  clambered  aboard,  and 
settled  themselves  in  their  former  places.  The 
old  man  with  the  Virginia  had  purchased  a  copy 
of  "  II  Papagallo,"  though  it  was  a  mystery  how 
he  could  have  got  hold  of  it  in  such  a  place.  He 
clucked  oilily  as  he  read,  occasionally  calling  the 
attention  of  his  nearest  neighbor  to  some  gaudy 
cartoon  or  some  political  pasquinade.  Jerry  spec 
ulated  in  regard  to  what  it  might  all  be  about, 
and  was  filled  with  that  vague  sense  of  baffled 
irritation  which  comes  from  seeing  others  enjoying 
jokes  in  a  language  one  cannot  understand. 

Mile  after  mile  of  level  track,  flanked  by  the 
interminable  cinder-covered  berms.  Once  in  a 
while  the  level  was  broken  by  clumps  of  dusty 
cactus,  ugly  and  forbiddingly  aggressive  in  the 
sun.  To  the  right,  beyond  a  flat,  gorse-grown 
waste,  relieved  only  by  an  occasional  palm  or  ole 
aster,  Tab  could  discern  the  blue  shimmer  of  the 
sea.  To  the  left,  he  could  see  only  the  same  dull 
plain,  bounded  by  bluish  hills,  which  rose  about 
it  like  the  seats  of  some  titanic  amphitheatre. 
Now  and  again  two  or  three  buffaloes,  their  black 
hides  caked  with  patches  of  yellow  mud,  lay  in 


MR.  WRENMARSH  167 

their  wallows  or  stood  contemptuously  indifferent 
to  the  noisy  train,  which  beside  them  seemed  so 
impertinently  modern. 

At  last  the  train,  with  a  screaming  of  gritty 
brakes  on  the  wheels,  and  the  inevitable  clanking 
and  banging  of  cars  and  couplings,  drew  up  beside 
a  tiny  station  on  the  right  of  the  track. 

"Pesto!   Pesto!" 

The  guard  unlocked  the  compartment  door, 
and  Jerry  stepped  out.  The  station  was  smaller 
than  any  they  had  passed,  and  Tab  smilingly  re 
flected  that  the  lodge  at  the  entrance  of  his  father's 
place  at  Dedham  was  bigger.  He  was  the  only 
passenger  to  alight,  and  no  sooner  was  he  out  than 
the  guard,  like  an  overgrown  mechanical  toy,  called 
out  his  "  Pronto  !  Partenza  I  "  blew  his  toy  horn, 
and  swung  himself  aboard  again.  The  long  train, 
with  bitter  metallic  complaint  at  being  obliged  to 
go  farther,  drew  past  the  little  station,  and  rolled 
away  toward  a  gap  in  the  southern  hills,  far  be 
yond  which  lies  Tarento. 

Taberman  turned  to  the  station  master,  a  dis 
couraged-looking  individual  who  stood  on  the 
platform  with  his  truncheon  tucked  under  his  arm, 
examining  a  batch  of  dispatches  as  if  this  were  the 
first  time  such  papers  had  ever  come  under  his 
notice.  Jerry's  Italian  vocabulary  was  limited  to 


i68  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

some  score  of  words,  with  a  few  expressions,  such 
as  dolce  far  niente  and  the  like,  more  ornamental 
than  useful.  As,  however,  he  could  perceive  no 
sign  of  any  temples,  —  or  town  either,  for  the 
matter  of  that,  —  he  determined  to  question 
the  capo. 

"  Bonn  giorno"  he  began  with  a  painful  sense 
of  effort,  but  with  a  mild  self-congratulatory  thrill 
at  having  said  something  in  Italian. 

"  Buon  giorno"  responded  the  station  master, 
turning  a  pair  of  dull  eyes  and  an  emaciated  face 
from  the  dispatches  to  Taberman. 

Jerry  spoke  French  moderately  well,  and  re 
solved  to  address  the  official  in  that  tongue,  in 
the  hope  that  the  Italian  might  understand. 

"  Peut-etre  vous  parlez  Francais  ?  "  he  began. 

"  Cosa?  "  asked  the  Italian,  obviously  puzzled, 
as  he  stepped  out  of  the  sun  into  the  shadow  of 
the  little  station. 

"  What? "  demanded  Jerry  in  English,  and  with 
much  the  same  puzzled  air. 

"  Non  capisco"  said  the  man,  with  a  sort  of  dull 
finality. 

Conversation  languished.  Jerry  felt  himself 
pretty  well  baffled,  yet  he  had  no  choice  but  to  go 
on  with  the  unpromising  attempt  to  elicit  infor 
mation  here,  as  no  other  human  being  was  in  sight. 


MR.  WRENMARSH  169 

He  considered  a  moment,  and  then  in  an  explosive 
tone,  demanded  :  — 

"fempli?  " 

"  Bruto  Inglise  I  "  murmured  the  capo  under  his 
breath.  "  Che  volete?  "  he  added  aloud. 

"  What  ?  "  asked  Jerry,  again  scared  over  the 
dubious  boundary  of  his  Italian  into  English. 

"  Non  capisco"  repeated  the  Italian  morosely, 
wetting  his  dingy  forefinger,  and  going  over  his 
papers  for  at  least  the  third  time. 

"  Damn  it!  "  cried  Jerry,  in  complete  exaspera 
tion,  "  if  you  say  that  again  I  '11  punch  your  head  !  " 

The  other  started  back  in  such  obvious  terror 
that  Tab  hastened  to  propitiate  him  by  putting  on 
quickly  his  most  ingratiating  smile,  and  nodding 
as  if  he  had  made  a  merry  joke.  The  other  seemed 
reassured,  although  he  edged  away  a  little,  as  if  he 
were  doubtful  of  the  sanity  of  this  foreign  brute ; 
and  Tab  fell  again  to  the  effort  to  rally  all  the 
words  in  his  Italian  vocabulary  about  one  idea. 

"  Dove"  he  began  in  one  grand  final  attempt 
to  wring  information  out  of  this  sullen  and  taci 
turn  official,  "  dove  "  —  He  was  so  pleased  with 
himself  for  having  remembered  the  word  that  he 
came  near  forgetting  all  the  rest,  but  with  a  de 
sperate  rally,  he  went  blundering  on.  "  Dovey  I 
say,  is  —  is  —  la  via  per  i  templi  ?  " 


i  yo  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

The  capo  looked  at  him,  apparently  in  mingled 
curiosity  and  disgust.  Then  he  beckoned  him  to 
the  edge  of  the  platform  on  the  other  side  of  the 
station,  whence  stretched  westward  a  ribbon  of 
dust-heaped  road. 

" Ecco-la"  he  ejaculated,  waving  his  truncheon 
vaguely  toward  the  distance. 

"  Ah,"  said  Jerry,  "  grazie." 

As  the  capo  responded  to  this  speech  not  at  all, 
Tab  set  out  on  the  dusty  road  without  more  ado. 
The  way  was  inches  deep  in  loose,  gray  dust,  and 
spiny  cacti  bristled  on  either  hand.  Jerry  had  not 
gone  far  before,  turning  a  bend,  he  saw  at  no  great 
distance  ahead  of  him  an  arched  gateway  through 
which  the  road  passed.  The  arch,  broken  and 
crumbled,  was  set  in  a  ruined  wall,  which  trailed 
away  on  either  hand,  now  rising  to  the  height  of 
something  like  a  dozen  feet,  now  razed  to  the  very 
ground. 

"  That 's  a  forlorn-looking  piece  o'  work,"  com 
mented  Tab  aloud. 

Had  Jerry  been  blessed  with  the  education  of 
his  forefathers,  instead  of  having  brought  out 
of  school  and  college  a  hodgepodge  smattering 
of  physics  and  economics,  he  might  have  known 
and  reflected  that  the  wall  he  thus  carelessly  char 
acterized  had  been  standing  some  two  thousand 


MR.  WRENMARSH  171 

years,  and  gloriously  attested  the  puissance  of  old 
Rome.  With  no  such  thought,  however,  he  passed 
beneath  the  crumbling  gateway  and  continued  his 
march.  At  some  distance  ahead  he  now  perceived 
signs  of  life  in  the  shape  of  a  few  dwellings. 

As  he  looked  at  them  he  became  aware  of  two 
horsemen,  who  were  cantering  toward  him  on  the 
crest  of  the  little  slope  made  by  the  road  just  in 
side  the  old  gateway.  Their  horses'  hoofs  stirred 
up  light  clouds  of  yellow  dust.  Even  at  first  glance 
the  riders  showed  themselves  to  be  ruggedly 
dressed,  and  with  something  of  a  thrill  Jerry  no 
ticed  instantly  that  slung  across  their  shoulders  they 
carried  carbines.  Wild  tales  of  brigands  flashed 
confusedly  through  his  brain,  and  especially  a  tale 
the  Neapolitan  guide  had  related  of  the  capture 
and  murder  at  this  very  place  of  an  English  gen 
tleman  and  his  wife.  The  guide  had  said  that  that 
was  sixteen  years  ago,  but  the  place  seemed  so 
lonely,  so  remote,  Tab's  ideas  of  rural  Italy  were 
so  vague,  the  effect  of  the  landscape  and  of  these 
wild  figures  was  so  startling  as,  riding  toward  him, 
they  stood  out  against  the  sky,  that  it  was  no  won 
der  Jerry  involuntarily  cast  a  quick  glance  around 
to  note  the  lay  of  the  land  and  to  see  if  any  possible 
help  were  in  sight  in  case  of  need. 

The  horsemen  rode  down  to  him  on  a  lazy  lope. 


172  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

They  were  big,  bronzed  fellows,  smoking  ciga 
rettes,  and  riding  with  their  feet  out  of  the  stirrups. 
They  nodded  to  him  pleasantly  and  smiled,  show 
ing  large  white  teeth.  They  had  about  them,  these 
big  fellows,  a  look  so  engaging  that  Tab  was  won  at 
once,  and  the  vague  mist  of  his  suspicions  vanished 
like  smoke  in  air.  He  grinned  to  himself  at  the 
idea  of  brigands. 

"Dove  templi?  "  he  asked,  returning  their  salu 
tation. 

The  big  men  smiled  more  broadly,  and  one  of 
them  replied  in  French. 

"  Vous  ne  parlez  pas  beaucoup  d'italien  ?  "  he 
asked  in  a  pleasant  voice. 

"  Ne  pas  de  tout  !  "  responded  Jerry  heartily, 
with  a  laugh. 

Having  found  some  one  with  whom  he  could 
talk,  he  at  once  began  a  lively  conversation.  He 
found  the  two  men  to  be  the  custodians  appointed 
by  the  government  to  look  after  the  temples  and 
to  collect  the  fees  of  travelers.  They  explained 
that  at  this  season  it  was  extremely  rare  for  a  visitor 
to  appear,  and  that  they  were  therefore  not  partic 
ular  about  being  exactly  at  their  posts.  They  had 
heard  some  rumor  of  the  discovery  of  antiques 
by  peasants,  and  were  setting  out  to  investigate. 
They  explained,  however,  that  the  chances  of 


MR.  WRENMARSH  173 

finding  out  anything  were  very  small ;  the  peas 
ants  all  held  together,  and  would  all  lie  for  one 
another.  Jerry  inferred,  moreover,  that  they  were 
by  no  means  anxious  to  make  discoveries.  It  was 
part  of  their  duty  to  investigate  such  a  rumor,  for 
the  government  claimed  the  right  to  have  a  hand 
in  the  disposal  of  any  treasure-trove ;  but  the 
custodians  seemed  to  have  a  good  deal  of  sym 
pathy  with  the  wretched  peasants,  who  tried  to 
conceal  anything  they  might  find,  in  order  to  sell 
it  for  a  fraction  of  its  value  to  any  stray  forestiere 
who  might  appear.  Now  that  a  visitor  had  come, 
one  of  the  men  went  alone  on  this  errand,  and 
the  custode  who  spoke  French  returned  toward 
the  temples,  which  were  near  at  hand,  that  he 
might  formally  take  Tab's  lira  at  the  gate. 

The  Italian  walked  his  horse  beside  Taberman 
past  the  two  or  three  ruinous  and  apparently  de 
serted  houses,  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  pair  came 
to  where  their  road  ended  in  a  broad  turnpike 
which  ran  at  right  angles  to  it.  On  the  other  side 
of  this  turnpike,  a  little  distance  to  his  left,  Jerry 
saw  the  ruins  of  a  couple  of  temples,  and  beyond 
them  the  sea.  His  guide  disregarded  them,  and 
led  him  to  the  right  hand,  where,  a  hundred  yards 
or  so  along  the  highway,  they  came  to  a  square 
two-story  building  of  gray  rubble.  On  its  dingy 


174  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

front  was  painted  in  black  letters  the  word  "  Os- 
teria." 

"  Via  1'auberge,"  announced  the  jovial  custo 
dian.  "  If  Michu  is  fatigued,  he  can  get  eggs  and 
polenta  within.  The  wine  is  rough,  but  not  so 
bad  as  the  water.  This  way,  Michu." 

And  leaving  his  horse  to  crop  the  rank  grass 
by  the  doorway,  he  strode  into  the  building,  Tab 
following. 

The  inn  was  a  poor  place,  even  for  southern 
Italy.  The  floor  was  of  trampled  clay  ;  the  walls 
were  unfinished  within  as  without,  but  like  the 
ceiling,  from  which  hung  bunches  of  garlic  and 
black  and  dusty  herbs,  they  were  garnished  with 
abundant  cobwebs  and  a  generous  coating  of  soot 
and  dirt.  At  the  back  of  the  room  was  a  counter, 
above  which  a  grimy  sign  announced  the  right 
of  the  proprietor  to  sell  salt  and  tobacco.  In  the 
left-hand  corner  of  the  back  of  the  place  was  one 
of  the  altar-like  ranges  of  Italy,  upon  which  glowed 
a  minute  heap  of  charcoal.  Tab  smiled  to  find 
himself  recognizing  its  use  from  its  resemblance 
to  the  cooking-places  he  had  seen  in  the  ruins  of 
Pompeii,  and  reflected,  with  the  superiority  of  a 
youth  born  in  a  young  land,  upon  the  conserva 
tism  which  keeps  its  kitchen  arrangements  practi 
cally  the  same  as  they  were  two  thousand  years 


MR.  WRENMARSH  175 

ago.  The  room  was  lighted  simply  by  the  door 
through  which  the  visitors  had  entered.  Another 
doorway  at  the  left  simply  yawned  blackly  like 
the  mouth  of  a  cavern.  The  furniture  consisted 
of  a  small  square  table  and  three  stools.  Over  the 
entire  place  was  spread  an  appearance  of  squalor 
and  neglect,  depressing,  but  in  key  with  the  air 
of  poverty  and  of  deadness  which  had  been  more 
evident  to  Tab  with  every  step  he  had  taken  in 
Paestum. 

The  room  was  empty  when  they  entered  it,  but 
after  the  custode  had  bellowed  lustily  once  or 
twice  for  "Angelo,"  the  innkeeper  appeared  sud 
denly.  He  was  a  little  man  doubled  up  as  if  with 
rheumatism,  and  with  a  face  as  yellow  as  a  dried 
lemon.  On  seeing  Taberman  he  croaked  some 
thing  to  the  custode,  and  bowed  to  his  guest  again 
and  again,  rubbing  his  hands  and  all  but  losing 
his  crooked  balance  with  each  genuflection. 

With  the  air  of  an  archduke  ordering  a  banquet 
for  his  retainers,  Jerry's  companion  gave  some 
rapid  instructions  to  the  innkeeper,  told  the 
Michu  to  make  the  place  his  own,  and  then  de 
parted  to  attend  to  his  horse  and  other  trifles,  say 
ing  that  he  would  be  back  in  half  an  hour. 

Tab  seated  himself  on  a  stool  to  await  his 
luncheon.  His  host  puttered  about  the  altar,  occa- 


176  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

sionally  mumbling  to  himself,  like  the  devotee  of 
some  Stygian  power  making  sacrifice.  Jerry  was 
watching  him  with  amusement,  and  wondering 
what  would  be  the  outcome  of  his  incantations  in 
the  way  of  food,  when  on  a  sudden  the  doorway 
was  darkened,  and  a  man  entered  the  room.  At  a 
glance  Jerry  saw  that  the  newcomer  was,  like 
himself,  a  traveler.  The  stranger  was  of  medium 
height,  rather  inclined,  hardly  to  stoutness,  but 
certainly  to  plumpness ;  he  was  well  proportioned, 
with  broad  shoulders,  but  had  a  carriage  curiously 
shuffling  and  insignificant.  He  held  a  stiff-brimmed 
straw  hat  in  his  hand,  and  Tab  could  see,  where 
the  outer  light  fell  upon  his  crown,  that  his  hair 
was  slightly  touched  with  gray.  His  face,  Jerry 
decided,  would  have  been  handsome,  had  it  not 
been  marred  by  two  deep  lines  from  the  nostrils 
to  the  corners  of  the  mouth,  which  gave  an  ap 
pearance  of  sinister  suspicion  not  without  a  hint 
of  selfish  cruelty.  Except  for  a  very  silky  mus 
tache,  he  was  clean-shaven. 

The  traveler  threw  Taberman  a  quick,  almost 
furtive  glance,  and  then,  turning  to  the  innkeeper, 
addressed  that  individual  sharply  in  Italian.  The 
crooked  host  bowed  furiously,  made  apologetic 
and  deprecatory  gestures  with  the  rapidity  of  a 
mountebank,  skipped  about  in  feverish  excite- 


MR.  WRENMARSH  177 

ment,  and  jerked  his  head  more  and  more  franti 
cally.  The  gentleman  —  for  he  seemed  one  —  con 
tinued  his  objurgations  unappeased  by  all  these 
demonstrations,  and  ended  by  swearing  roundly  in 
English. 

"  Oh  !  "  exclaimed  Taberman  involuntarily. 

The  stranger  turned  to  him. 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,"  he  said  in  a  curious  sing 
song  voice  with  a  markedly  rising  inflection,  "  but 
this  brute  has  not  prepared  my  luncheon.  Do 
you  mind  sharing  the  table  with  me  ? " 

"  Not  the  least  in  the  world,"  replied  Jerry. 
"  I  'm  sure  it  will  give  me  great  pleasure." 

"  Good,"  said  the  stranger.  "  I  see  you  are  an 
American,"  he  flung  out  as  an  addition. 

"  I  am,"  returned  Taberman,  feeling  a  simple 
pride  in  the  fact. 

"Thank  God  I  'm  not,"  remarked  the  stranger. 
His  voice  showed  no  trace  of  truculence ;  it  was 
murmured  as  if  to  himself.  Before  Jerry  had  time 
to  explode  the  gentleman  continued  :  "  I  'm  Eng 
lish.  What  does  that  mean  ?  Celt,  Angle,  Saxon, 
and  ages  of  tradition  —  ages  of  it.  By  the  bye,  you 
must  n't  mind  the  things  I  say,  you  know  ;  your 
pernicious  self-respect  would  force  you  to  resent 
them  if  you  did.  May  I  ask  your  name?" 

"  My  name  is  Taberman,"  Jerry  replied,  strug- 


178  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

gling  with  a  mingling  of  indignation,  amazement, 
and  amusement,  "Jerrold  Taberman.  I  live  in 
Boston." 

"  Dedham  rather,"  returned  the  other  easily. 
"  I  knew  a  Taberman  when  I  was  in  college.  Curi 
ous  chap.  I —  My  name's  Wrenmarsh,  Gordon 
Wrenmarsh.  Fact  is,  I  was  an  American,  but  I 
could  n't  stand  the  place.  Bostonians  have  good 
manners ;  but  New  York  is  a  vile  spot.  So  is 
Boston ;  that  is  -  Well,  perhaps  you  see  the 
difference." 

The  tricks  this  extraordinary  man  played  with 
his  voice  were  astonishing,  and  as  he  went  on 
talking  he  quite  dizzied  Tab  by  the  cryptic,  baf 
fling  nature  of  his  nervous  speeches.  He  had,  too, 
a  curious  and  disconcerting  habit  of  displaying 
great  emotional  intensity  —  opening  his  eyes  to 
their  greatest  extent  and  distending  his  nostrils  — 
in  dealing  with  trifles  of  the  slightest  consequence; 
while  whenever,  as  happened  once  or  twice  in  the 
course  of  the  luncheon,  they  touched  even  re 
motely  on  subjects  of  really  vital  importance,  the 
extraordinary  Mr.  Wrenmarsh  fairly  oozed  indif 
ference.  His  conduct  was  so  thoroughly  strange 
that  once  or  twice  Jerry  felt  a  puzzled  doubt 
whether  the  man  were  entirely  sane. 

"  I  '11  tell  you,"  said  Mr.  Wrenmarsh,  when 


MR.  WRENMARSH  179 

their  slight  repast  was  over,  "  we  '11  do  the  temples 
together.  I  've  been  camping  in  this  abominable 
hole  of  an  osteria  for  over  a  week,  so  that  I  know 
them  pretty  well.  One  of  them  is  in  my  period, 
moreover." 

Jerry  looked  at  him  as  if  to  ask  if  the  stranger 
claimed  to  be  a  contemporary  of  the  ruins. 

"  Your  period  ?  "  he  echoed  confusedly. 

"Yes;  you  see,  I  'm  an  archaeologist  —  collec 
tor,  in  fact.  Hello  ;  here  's  the  custode." 

The  custodian  entered  as  Mr.  Wren  marsh  spoke, 
and  Taberman  had  somehow  the  idea  that  the  look 
he  gave  the  Englishman  was  not  very  friendly. 

"Ah,  Michu,  have  you  found  a  friend?"  he 
asked  in  his  queer  French. 

"  I  don't  know,"  Jerry  returned,  with  a  half 
laugh. 

"  Well,"  responded  the  Italian,  "  if  Michu  is 
ready  to  see  the  temples,  I  am  waiting." 

"  Bien,"  responded  Jerry  ;  and  then  turning  to 
the  archaeologist,  he  asked,  "Are  you  coming?  " 

"  Of  course,"  the  Englishman  answered.  "  Never 
mind  this  custode ;  he  's  only  an  ignorant  pig." 

Jerry  secretly  felt  that,  ignorant  or  not,  the  big 
Italian,  with  his  merry  face  and  open  smile,  would 
be  a  much  more  companionable  guide  than  the 
eccentric  collector ;  but  without  comment  he  paid 


i8o  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

the  reckoning,  and  they  set  out.  They  went  down 
the  road  to  a  gate,  paid  a  lira  each  to  the  custode, 
and  entered  upon  a  field  of  ploughed  land,  planted 
with  maize.  The  Italian,  who  had  more  and  more 
the  air  of  not  liking  the  Englishman,  made  some 
remarks  to  the  effect  that  Michu  I'Anglaise  was  a 

o 

very  learned  man,  and  one  much  better  fitted  to 
explain  the  marvels  of  ancient  architecture  than 
he,  a  plain  man  who  had  had  to  pick  up  his  edu 
cation  in  the  army.  On  these  grounds  he  excused 
himself  and  went  into  a  little  lodge,  while  the  others 
walked  on  to  the  temples  which  stood  before  them, 
ideal  in  their  beauty. 

The  two  pushed  their  way  across  the  field  and 
entered  the  nearest  temple.  Jerry's  was  not  an 
impressionable  nature,  and  in  one  way  to  him  these 
august  colonnades  meant  little ;  yet  despite  a  cer 
tain  sophomoric  exuberance  which  he  had  never 
outgrown,  his  nature  was  fundamentally  too  re 
fined  to  fail  to  respond  to  the  silent  grandeur  of 
this  solemn  harmony  in  stone.  The  roofless  en 
closure,  after  all  the  indignities  a  score  of  centuries 

'  O 

had  been  able  to  inflict  upon  it,  possessed  still  a 
nobility  and  a  beauty  which  seemed  almost  per 
sonal  and  conscious.  One  feels  in  seeing  the 
ruins  at  Paestum  as  if  a  certain  inherent  and  inde 
structible  loveliness  would  pervade  the  very  stones 


MR.  WRENMARSH  181 

were  they  thrown  down  to  the  last  one  ;  and  while 
the  columns  stand,  the  place  is  one  to  make  the 
visitor  catch  his  breath  with  admiration  and  almost 
with  awe.  Taberman  did  not  analyze,  and  indeed 
he  was  instinctively  so  occupied  in  concealing  from 
his  companion  how  profoundly  he  was  impressed 
as  to  have  little  attention  left  for  introspection ; 
but  he  was  more  deeply  stirred  than  he  could  have 
conceived  possible. 

He  walked  about  with  Mr.  Wrenmarsh,  who 
talked  along  in  his  curious  voice,  expatiating  upon 
styles  and  orders,  influence  and  epochs,  with  all 
sorts  of  things  of  which  Jerry  understood  at  best 
not  more  than  a  quarter ;  until  at  last,  instead  of 
going  on  to  the  neighboring  temple,  the  strangely 
assorted  pair  sat  down  on  the  western  steps  of  the 
ruin  through  which  they  had  come.  Taberman 
looked  away  westward,  where  the  rim  of  the  sea 
shone  like  a  fillet  of  molten  silver.  For  some 
time  neither  spoke;  but  at  length  Mr.  Wrenmarsh 
broke  in  upon  Tab's  train  of  thought  with  a  ques 
tion. 

"Are  you  traveling  alone?"  he  asked  quite 
suddenly. 

Taberman  explained  that  he  had  come  over 
from  America  in  a  yacht.  It  is  to  be  feared  that 
it  was  vanity  which  led  him  to  make  the  unlucky 


182  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

addition  that  he  was  in  command  of  her  until  his 
friend  should  rejoin  him  at  Naples. 

"Ah,"  commented  the  archaeologist,  with  a 
new  appearance  of  interest ;  "  you  're  cruising." 

"  Yes,"  said  Jerry. 

The  spell  of  the  temple  was  upon  him,  and  he 
had  no  inclination  to  talk.  He  was  conscious  of  a 
half-defined  desire  to  have  this  stranger  take  him 
self  off,  and  not  bother  him  further  with  questions. 

"  And  what  do  you  suppose  I  am  doing  here  ?  " 
queried  the  collector  in  a  tone  of  almost  fierce 
intensity. 

"  Why,"  Jerry  responded  rather  absently,  "  I 
supposed  you  were  studying  or  something." 

"  Why,  yes,  to  be  sure  I  am  ;  have  n't  I  told 
the  custode  so  ?  "  chuckled  Mr.  Wrenmarsh.  His 
laughter  was  as  extraordinary  as  his  speech  and 
manner.  He  would  double  up  as  if  with  a  sort 
of  a  spasm  and  snigger  gastrically.  "  But  that 's 
not  all,"  he  went  on,  as  Jerry  turned  to  look  at 
him  questioningly  ;  "  that 's  not  all.  I  'm  doing 
something  else.  I  'm  waiting." 

"  What  for  ? "  asked  Taberman,  seeing  that  he 
was  expected  to  speak. 

"  Help,"  replied  Wrenmarsh  laconically. 

"  Help  ?  "  repeated  Jerry  blankly. 

"  Yes,  help  ;  waiting.    Collecting  is  nothing  but 


MR.  WRENMARSH  183 

waiting  anyway, — waiting  for  news,  waiting  for 
funds,  waiting  for  auctions,  waiting  for  old  coun 
tesses  to  die,  waiting  for  some  fool  of  a  peasant  to 
discover  something  ;  waiting,  waiting,  waiting  all 
along  the  line.  It 's  the  man  who  waits  with  his 
ears  and  eyes  open  and  his  mouth  shut  that  gets 
what  he  wants.  He  's  the  man." 

"But  —  but  what  sort  of  help  do  you  want 
now  ?  "  Tab  inquired. 

He  was  sympathetic  by  nature,  and  this  extraor 
dinary  individual  had  aroused  not  only  his  curi 
osity,  but  in  some  mysterious  manner  stimulated 
him  to  a  desire  to  be  of  service.  He  had  come 
to  Psestum  for  amusement.  He  felt  that  in  meet 
ing  the  collector  he  had  been  amply  repaid.  The 
unwonted  emotion  which  had  been  stirred  by  the 
temple  melted  in  his  boyish  heart  before  the 
warmer  human  interest  which  the  collector  aroused, 
and  it  was  perhaps  with  some  unrealized  relief  at 
getting  back  to  more  familiar  levels  of  feeling 
that  he  now  began  to  enter  into  the  affairs  of  his 
companion.  It  came  over  him  that  he  was  being 
appealed  to,  and  he  was  ready  to  take  the  posi 
tion  that  if  any  aid  of  his  could  bring  relief  to 
Mr.  Wrenmarsh,  that  eccentric  gentleman  should 
no  longer  need  to  go  on  waiting  for  help. 

"  I  '11  tell  you  the  whole  business,"  said  the 


1 84  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

archaeologist,  in  a  sudden  burst  of  frankness. 
"You  look  trustworthy.  I  've  been  here  ten 
days  —  waiting.  I  Ve  written,  of  course,  for  help  ; 
but  it  does  n't  seem  to  come.  Three  weeks  ago  I 
was  in  Naples,  and  heard  —  no  matter  how  — 
that  somewhere  down  here  a  lot  of  good  stuff  had 
turned  up.  I  kept  coming  down  here  daily  until, 
by  dint  of  discreet  questions  —  discretion  's  the 
backbone  of  the  game  —  I  found  out  what  had 
happened.  A  peasant  here  had  been  spading  over 
some  ground.  One  day  the  earth  sunk  suddenly 
under  him,  and  down  he  went  into  a  hole.  He 
found,  as  soon  as  he  could  get  his  wits  together, 
that  he  had  broken  through  the  roof  of  an  ancient 
cella  of  some  sort.  He  got  out  without  much 

D 

trouble,  pulled  himself  together,  and  did  what 
any  peasant  would  know  enough  to  do,  —  covered 
the  place  with  brush  and  dirt  so  that  no  news  of 
the  thing  should  get  to  the  custodi.  Then  he 
went  on  with  his  spading." 

"  Without  investigating  ?  "  asked  Jerry,  full  of 
interest. 

Mr.  Wrenmarsh  looked  at  him  curiously. 

"  Of  course,"  he  responded.  "  If  he  had  let  his 
curiosity  get  the  better  of  him,  or  his  tongue  wag, 
he'd  be  a  good  deal  poorer  than  he  is  at  present. 
They  are  stupid  louts,  these  peasants,  but  they  do 


MR.  WRENMARSH  185 

learn  enough  not  to  take  the  government  into  their 
confidence  when  they  find  anything.  They  know 
that  they  'd  get  nothing  out  of  it  if  they  did. 
Besides,  they  are  as  stolid  as  buffaloes.  They  can 
wait  well  enough." 

"  But  what  did  he  find  ?  "  demanded  Taber- 
man,  his  interest  thoroughly  aroused  by  this  tale 
of  treasure-trove,  which  appealed  to  every  boyish 
and  every  adventurous  fibre  in  him. 

"  He  went  by  night  with  a  lantern  and  a  couple 
of  panniers.  He  filled  his  baskets  twice,  filled  them 
with  priceless  things  in  a  perfect  condition  —  beau 
tiful  kylixes  and  glass  bowls.  There  's  one  that 
measures  at  least  half  a  metre  across  the  top. 
Think  of  that !  Why,  it 's  the  finest  glass  I  Ve 
ever  seen  or  heard  of!  It's  the  finest  glass  there 
is!" 

"  Great  Scott !  "  cried  Jerry,  alive  with  excite 
ment.  "  It  must  be  awfully  old  !  " 

"  Old  !  "  retorted  Wrenmarsh  with  scorn;  "  do 
you  know  where  you  are  ?  " 

Jerry  twisted  his  head  to  look  up  at  the  tall 
columns  and  broken  pediment  above  him,  on  the 
pinkish-gray  stones  of  which  the  afternoon  sun 
fell  with  loving  warmth. 

"  Yes,  of  course,"  he  said.  "  But  what  did  he 
do  with  the  things  ?  " 


186  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

"  I  kept  at  him  till  I  wormed  the  whole  busi 
ness  out  of  him,"  the  collector  answered,  "and  I 
bought  his  things  —  damn  him  !" 

He  brought  out  the  objurgation  with  amazing 
vigor;  then  stopped  and  stared  gloomily  before 
him. 

"  Well  ?  "  said  Jerry.  "  What  are  you  waiting 
for?  More?" 

"  More  !  "  exploded  the  collector,  disgust  and 
indignation  in  his  face.  "  Man,  I  Ve  got  hold  of 
a*  collection  that  is  all  but  unique  !  More  !  Don't 
you  see  —  I  can  't  get  away  with  it !  Piece  by  piece 
I  could  run  it  out  of  the  country,  but  I  don't  dare 
to  leave  anything  behind  me.  If  only  my  men 
were  at  hand  —  but  they  're  not,  they  're  not. 
One  's  off  the  track  in  the  Troad,  and  the  other  's 
in  America." 

He  passed  his  hand  before  his  eyes  with  a  ges 
ture  so  expressive  that  it  was  even  more  impas 
sioned  than  his  tone. 

Taberman  was  moved,  both  by  the  enthusiasm 
of  this  man  for  his  work  and  by  the  exciting  ro 
mance  of  the  finding  of  this  treasure.  He  knew 
vaguely  of  the  laws  that  forbade  the  taking  of  works 
of  art  out  of  Italy  and  Greece,  but  he  had  no  con 
ception  that  they  were  strictly  enforced.  It  gave 
him  a  new  sensation  to  be  thus  brought  in  contact 


MR.  WRENMARSH  187 

with  the  actual  working  of  a  statute  which  was 
aimed  to  prevent  a  man  from  removing  his  own 
possessions  from  one  country  to  another.  He  had 
been  too  well  brought  up  under  a  high  protective 
tariff  to  have  any  moral  scruples  about  smuggling 
anything.  A  Mugwump  atmosphere  had  acted 
upon  the  natural  inclination  of  youth  to  defy 
authority,  and  had  bred  in  Jerry  the  feeling  that 
smuggling,  however  little  its  true  nature  was  ap 
preciated  in  high  places,  was  really  in  its  essence 
a  maligned  virtue.  In  the  present  instance,  more 
over,  the  boyish  feeling  that  what  one  owns  is  his 
to  do  what  he  chooses  with  despite  all  fiats  of 
principalities,  potentates,  and  powers,  helped  to 
make  the  idea  of  this  especial  case  of  an  attempt 
to  defy  the  laws  one  of  particular  merit.  He  gave 
himself  eagerly  to  considering  how  it  could  be  done. 

"  Can't  you  take  your  traps  to  Naples,  and  ship 
'em  from  there  ? "  he  at  last  demanded  of  the 
archaeologist. 

"  You  don't  understand,  I  'm  afraid,"  replied 
the  other.  "  My  reputation  in  itself  compels  me 
to  lie  close.  Besides  that,  there 's  the  awkward 
problem  of  the  octroi  and  the  export  examinations. 
I  could  n't  take  the  things  into  Naples  without 
running  into  the  one,  or  out  of  it  without  getting 
afoul  of  the  other.  They  'd  be  no  end  sharp  in 


i88  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

examining  anything  I  tried  to  pass.  I  'm  hideously 
notorious  in  Italy."  His  pride  in  this  last  state 
ment  was  entirely  evident,  but  Jerry  was  im 
pressed  by  the  deeds  of  archaeological  daring  which 
were  implied  in  such  a  reputation.  "  I  simply  can't 
get  these  things  away  without  help,"  he  continued. 
"  I  've  written  and  telegraphed  to  every  mortal  I 
can  count  on,  —  there  are  only  five  or  six  of  them, 
—  and  not  one  of  them  can  help  me  out  just 
now.  Meanwhile  I  starve  on  eggs  and  polenta, 
under  the  suspicious  eyes  of  the  custodi  —  damn 
'em  !  They  'd  have  got  me  a  week  ago  if  they  'd 
had  any  brains." 

"  Upon  my  word,"  cried  Jerry,  the  idea  sud 
denly  striking  him  for  the  first  time,  "  it's  ex 
traordinary  you  should  tell  me  all  this,  and  I  a 
stranger." 

"  1  count  on  your  helping  me,"  responded  Mr. 
Wrenmarsh  in  keenly  incisive  tones. 

"  My  helping  you  !  "  ejaculated  Tab  in  amaze 
ment.  "  What  in  the  world  have  I  to  do  with  the 
business  ?  " 

"  You  practically  said  so,"  returned  the  col 
lector.  "At  least  your  face  did."  He  looked  at 
Jerry,  and  then  turned  away  to  the  brown  expanse 
of  plain  in  a  manner  so  stricken  and  so  reproach 
ful  that  Taberman  could  not  help  feeling  convicted 


MR.  WRENMARSH  189 

of  consummate  wickedness.  "  I  counted  on  you," 
he  added,  in  a  tone  of  profoundest  pathos. 

Jerry  was  completely  nonplussed.  He  felt  that 
he  was  being  played  with  ;  he  was  angrily  conscious 
that  the  whole  affair  was  no  concern  of  his,  and 
that  he  had  no  business  to  be  dragged  into  it.  Yet 
he  felt  no  less  but  rather  more  keenly  that  he 
could  not  endure  the  imputation  of  having  en 
couraged  a  man  in  difficulties  with  a  hope  of  assist 
ance  and  of  having  then  refused  to  fulfill  them. 
His  youthful  blood,  moreover,  was  stirred  by  the 
flavor  of  adventure  which  came  alluringly  to  his 
inner  sense.  For  a  moment  there  was  a  strained 
silence,  and  then  it  was  broken  by  Tab. 

"  You  Ve  mistaken  my  interest  for  something 
else,  I  'm  afraid,"  he  said,  trying  to  speak  lightly, 
and  feeling  that  he  was  making  a  mess  of  it.  "  It 
never  even  occurred  to  me  that  I  could  help  you 
out  of  this  blessed  muss  ;  and  I  don't  see  that 
there  's  anything  I  can  do  anyway,  except  to  keep 
mum  about  it.  Of  course  that  I  'd  do  anyway." 

"  No  use,"  retorted  the  archaeologist.  "  If  you 
can  help  me  and  won't,  after  my  taking  you  into 
my  confidence,  you  —  you  ruin  me." 

"  Hmm,"  Jerry  observed  rather  coldly,  "  that's 
too  subtle  for  me.  I  fail  to  see  it  in  that  light. 
You  're  no  worse  off  than  you  were  before." 


1 90  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

"  I  'm  sure,  Mr.  Tableman  " — 

"  Taberman,"  Jerry  corrected. 

"  Pardon  me,  Mr.  Taberman ;  but  you  don't 
see  the  catena  logica  by  which  I  arrive  at  my  con 
clusions  !  "  Mr.  Wrenmarsh,  both  in  speech  and 
gestures,  was  momentarily  growing  more  and  more 
theatrical.  "  Suppose  you  should,  knowing  my 
story  and  the  law  against  taking  works  of  art  out 
of  the  country,  tell  my  case  to  the  police.  What 
then  ?  " 

"  It  would  be  the  trick  of  a  blackguard,  of 
course,"  Jerry  replied  promptly,  "  but  "  — 

"  Momenta  !  "  interrupted  the  other,  holding 
up  his  hand.  "  Now  suppose  things  to  be  as  they 
are,  and  you  learn  that  the  custodi  are  on  my 
track  "- 

"  They  've  heard  something  of  the  find,"  inter 
posed  Jerry  ;  "  they  told  me  that." 

"  There  !  You  see  !  "  Wrenmarsh  said,  with  a 
gesture  which  seemed  to  appeal  to  all  humanity  to 
bear  witness  that  in  whatever  he  had  said  he  had 
been  completely  right.  "  Suppose,  now,  that  you 
have  —  with  perfect  security  to  yourself,  mind  — 
a  chance  to  give  me  a  friendly  word  of  warning, 
and  don't  do  it.  What  then  ?  " 

"  Why,"  Tab  answered,  feeling  every  moment 
more  and  more  as  if  he  were  being  snarled  up  in 


MR.  WRENMARSH  191 

a  web,  "  it  would  be,  in  such  a  case  as  you  sup 
pose,  a  pretty  shabby  trick,  of  course.  At  the  same 
time  "  — 

"  Wait  a  bit,"  cried  Mr.  Wrenmarsh,  again  in 
terrupting  him,  and  growing  visibly  more  excited 
still  ;  "  wait  a  bit.  I  want  you  to  consider  the 
present  case.  You  say  yourself  the  secret  is  leak 
ing  out,  and  of  course  every  moment  makes  my 
danger  greater.  With  practically  no  bother  and 
with  absolute  safety  you  can  help  me  out  of  the 
whole  tangle.  If  you  don't,  I  shall  be  caught ;  I 
shall  lose  this  incomparable  treasure  and  all  the 
money  I  paid  for  it,  —  and  that 's  no  small  sum, 
let  me  tell  you,  —  and  all  because  you,  my  forlorn 
hope  that  I  Ve  confided  in  in  rebus  angustis^  won't 
devote  twenty-four  hours  of  your  time  to  saving 
your  own  self-respect.  By  Jove  !"  he  cried,  start 
ing  to  his  feet,  "  if  you  don't  help  me  you  betray 
me  as  much  as  if  you  went  straight  to  the  custodi 
with  my  story." 

"  Sit  tight !  "  cried  Jerry,  startled  by  the  vio 
lence  of  the  other's  demonstration.  "  Sit  tight !  " 

"  Will  you  help  me  ?  "  demanded  Mr.  Wren- 
marsh,  his  brown  eyes  blazing.  "  Will  you  help 
—  help  me  to  dodge  these  Italian  robbers  and 
get  my  things  —  my  antiquities  that  I  have  paid 
for  with  hard  cash  —  out  of  this  rotten  country  ? 


i92  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

Will  you  help,  or  will  you  desert  me,  and  take 
sides  with  those  that  are  waiting  to  rob  me  ? " 

"  By  George,  I  Ve  a  mind  to  try  !  "  incautiously 
ejaculated  Jerry,  for  the  moment  carried  off  his 
balance  by  the  enthusiasm  and  the  persuasive  per 
sonality  of  the  other. 

"  Good  man !  "  cried  the  antiquarian  in  a  rap 
ture;  "good  man!  I  knew  you  would.  We'll 
beat  'em  !  I  "  - 

"  Hold  your  horses  a  bit !  "  put  in  Tab  hastily, 
taken  aback  by  the  force  Wrenmarsh  gave  to  his 
unconsidered  words.  "  Go  slow,  please.  I  may 
have  "  — 

"  Oh,  that 's  all  right,"  returned  the  collector 
impetuously.  "  We  '11  take  a  turn  down  the  road, 
and  plan  it  all  out.  I  can  think  better  when  I  'm 
walking  —  sort  of  peripatetic,  you  see.  Ha,  ha! 
—  and  it  '11  look  queer  if  you  don't  go  down  to 
see  the  other  temple.  Come  on." 

Mr.  Wrenmarsh  made  his  way  toward  the  road, 
trampling  impetuously  over  the  wild  thyme  and 
the  acanthus,  while  Taberman  followed  in  a  mix 
ture  of  amused  amazement  and  indignation,  but 
with  a  full  determination  to  expostulate.  He 
found,  however,  that  he  was  not  allowed  any  op 
portunity  for  remonstrance.  Every  sentence  he 
began  was  choked  off  with  some  fresh  exclama- 


MR.  WRENMARSH  193 

tion  of  gratitude  from  the  collector,  or  by  some 
burst  of  delight  that  out  of  the  skies,  as  it  were, 
he  had  fallen  to  be  the  savior  of  the  perplexed 
archaeologist.  By  the  time  they  had  walked 
around  the  third  temple,  which  stands  at  some 
distance  from  the  other  two,  Taberman  had  given 
up  protesting.  He  merely  listened  to  his  com 
panion's  bewildering  flow  of  talk,  and  felt  as  if  he 
were  being  drawn  into  a  whirlpool.  He  was  helped 
by  his  own  secret  delight  at  the  thought  of  having 
a  share  in  a  real  adventure,  and  perhaps  pushed 
on  by  a  boyish  shame  at  the  idea  of  seeming  to 
draw  back  and  to  fail  another  in  an  extremity. 
He  had  not  much  chance  to  speak,  —  but  he 
soon  found  that  what  he  did  say  was  in  the  line 
of  his  having  accepted  the  position  into  which 
Mr.  Wrenmarsh  had  been  endeavoring  to  force 
him. 

As  they  returned  from  the  third  temple  they 
found  the  custode  beside  the  fountain  which  stood 
across  the  road  from  the  inn.  He  was  trying  to 
teach  his  horse  to  shake  hands. 

"Ah,  Michu,"  the  Italian  said  as  they  came  up 
to  him  ;  "  I  hope  you  were  pleased  with  the  tem 
ples." 

"  Much,"  Taberman  assured  him.  "  They  are 
magnificent." 


i94  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

Seeing  his  companion  fee  the  man,  he  in  turn 
slipped  a  coin  into  the  brown  hand.  His  conscience 
gave  him  a  little  twinge  at  the  thought  of  plotting 
to  outwit  this  frank,  big  creature  ;  but  he  reflected 
instantly  that  the  matter  was  entirely  impersonal, 
and  it  was  not  in  a  tariff-hating  youth  like  Jerry  to 
have  any  scruples  over  tricking  the  Italian  gov 
ernment  in  a  matter  of  this  sort. 

"  How  long  would  it  take  you  to  sail  down 
here  from  Naples?"  asked  Wrenmarsh,  as  they 
took  the  road  toward  the  station. 

Tab  considered. 

"  Five  or  six  hours  with  a  good  breeze,"  was 
his  conclusion. 

Mr.  Wrenmarsh  wrinkled  his  brows  and  quick 
ened  his  pace.  Those  uncomfortable  lines  from 
the  nostrils  to  the  corners  of  his  mouth  deepened, 
and  he  half  shut  his  eyes.  After  a  little  medita 
tion  he  spoke  again. 

"  Very  good,"  he  said  decisively.  "  This  is  the 
way  we  '11  put  the  thing  through.  You  go  back 
to  Naples  now.  Be  off  the  shore  here  by  eleven 
o'clock,  and  send  a  boat  ashore  for  me  and  my 
boxes.  They  're  rather  big,  and  fairly  heavy  ;  and 
they  Ve  got  to  be  handled  tenderly.  I  could  n't 
get  proper  means  of  packing  the  things,  and  I  Ve 
had  to  take  what  there  was.  Once  we  get  the  stuff 


MR.  WRENMARSH  195 

on  board,  we  must  run  back  so  as  to  be  in  Naples 
by  sunrise.  Does  that  suit  you  ?  " 

"  You  seem  to  be  running  this  cruise,"  laughed 
Jerry.  "  I  suppose  it's  all  right;  but  there  's  one 
thing  I  must  know.  There  's  no  chance  of  getting 
the  yacht  into  a  scrape,  is  there  ?  " 

"  Oh,  no  danger  whatever." 

"  You  're  sure  ?  "  Tab  insisted.  "  It  would  n't 
be  exactly  pleasant  to  get  my  friend's  boat  confis 
cated,  you  know,  or  into  any  sort  of  a  mess  of  that 
kind." 

"  Bosh  !  "  retorted  Mr.  Wrenmarsh  brusquely. 
"  You  may  make  your  mind  easy.  The  worst 
that  could  happen  is  that  I  might  lose  my  things. 
But  we  must  walk  a  bit  faster,  if  you  're  to  get 
your  train." 

"  It 's  better  to  say  to-morrow  night,"  Tab  re 
marked,  as  they  took  their  way  down  the  road 
and  beneath  the  old  Roman  arch.  "  You  see  I 
might  be  late  in  getting  back,  and  "  — 

"  Of  course,  of  course,"  interrupted  the  collec 
tor.  "  You  can't  count  on  getting  here  to-night. 
To-morrow  night,  of  course." 

At  the  station  the  capo  was  standing  almost 
where  Jerry  had  left  him,  looking  at  the  hills. 
When  the  two  came  up,  he  merely  turned  his  head 
and  nodded. 


196  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

"  The  facchino  must  be  doing  ticket-duty,"  the 
collector  remarked.  "  We  '11  go  in  and  get  your 
ticket." 

A  tall,  yellow,  broken-looking  man  was  behind 
the  little  wicket  in  the  ticket-office,  puttering  with 
some  sort  of  repair  work  on  a  shelf.  Mr.  Wren- 
marsh  addressed  him  in  Italian.  The  man  took  a 
blue  and  green  ticket  from  a  pigeon-hole  on  the 
wall,  placed  it  under  the  stamp,  on  the  knob  of 
which  he  then  brought  down  his  fist  with  a  ner 
vous  bang.  Instantly  he  broke  out  into  a  violent 
exclamation. 

"  Sacro  sangue  della  Madonna  !  "  he  shouted, 
and  began  to  rave  hysterically. 

"  What 's  the  matter  ?  "  asked  Taberman. 
"  What  is  he  saying  ?  " 

"  He  is  cursing  quite  well,"  returned  the  archae 
ologist  coolly.  "  His  hand  was  unsteady,  and 
he  's  broken  the  stamp.  He  wants  to  know  what 
will  become  of  him  when  the  capo  finds  the  punch 
is  broken." 

"  Is  he  tight?  "  inquired  Jerry  inelegantly. 

"  Oh,  he 's  only  bally-rotten  with  malaria. 
Look  at  his  face." 

"  Tell  him  he  ought  to  take  some  quinine," 
suggested  Taberman,  genuinely  sorry  for  the 
wretched-looking  fellow. 


MR.  WRENMARSH  197 

Mr.  Wrenmarsh  interpreted,  but  the  Italian  re 
plied  in  a  tone  of  mingled  despair  and  contempt, 
and  went  out  to  show  the  broken  punch  to  his 
superior. 

"  What  does  he  say  ?  "  asked  Jerry. 

"  Says  he  took  twenty-four  grains  this  noon," 
answered  Wrenmarsh,  chuckling  as  if  it  were  funny. 

"  Gad  !  "  exclaimed  Tab.  "  No  wonder  his 
hand  shook.  What  a  country  !" 

"  You  say  that  ?  "  returned  the  other,  "  You 
may  remember  that  I  'm  tied  to  it  till  I  can  get 
my  things  out." 

They  went  out  to  the  platform,  and  at  the  mo 
ment  the  train  came  in.  Jerry  took  his  seat  in  an 
empty  compartment,  and  the  collector  stood  out 
side  the  window. 

"  You  '11  surely  come  ? "  asked  Mr.  Wrenmarsh, 
in  a  voice  almost  threatening. 

"  I  can't  see  that  I  should,"  Taberman  returned ; 
"  but  wind  and  weather  permitting,  I  suppose  I 
shall." 

"  I  can't  attempt  to  argue  with  you  here,"  the 
other  said  ;  "  but  mind  —  you  '11  come." 

"Pronto!  Pronto!"  called  the  guard  in  his 
hoarse  sing-song. 

"  I  shall  come,"  Jerry  said  reassuringly.  "You 
may  bet  on  it." 


198  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

"  Partenza  I  Partenza  !  "  the  guard  bawled, 
blowing  his  horn. 

"  Good-by.  Don't  miss  it!"  cried  Wrenmarsh, 
giving  Jerry's  hand  a  farewell  grip. 

"  To-morrow  night,"  returned  Taberman. 

"  I  show  a  light,"  the  collector  vociferated,  run 
ning  along  the  platform  beside  the  now  moving 
train,  and  repeating  the  details  he  had  already  ar 
ranged.  "  A  white  light." 

"  Right-o  !  "  shouted  Taberman,  as  the  train 
bore  him  beyond  the  reach  of  further  communi 
cation. 

He  threw  himself  back  into  the  corner  of  the 
compartment,  and  all  the  way  to  Naples  he  kept 
wondering  over  and  over  what  there  was  about 
Mr.  Wrenmarsh  that  had  induced  him  to  promise 
to  have  a  share  in  a  scheme  so  mad. 


Chapter  Eleven 

A    LONE-HAND    GAME 

ON  the  morning  after  his  return  Jerry  rose  at  an 
hour  comfortably  late,  took  a  swim,  shaved,  and 
having  finished  his  breakfast,  sat  down  to  write  a 
short  note  to  Jack.  As  the  captain  might  put  in 
an  appearance  at  any  moment  now,  Taberman  did 
not  wish  to  go  away  from  Naples  without  leaving 
some  explanation  and  a  hint  as  to  his  whereabouts. 
He  found  the  letter  somewhat  difficult  to  write, 
since  to  give  Jack  a  satisfactory  reason  for  his 
errand  to  Paestum,  especially  in  brief  space,  was 
no  easy  task.  He  had  been  more  or  less  troubled 
ever  since  his  preposterous  promise  to  Mr.  Wren- 
marsh  ;  but  now  that  he  was  confronted  with  the 
difficulty  of  making  his  course  appear  rational  to 
Jack,  he  felt  himself  so  completely  a  fool  that  he 
groaned  as  he  wrote,  and  then  tore  up  the  note, 
with  a  curse.  On  the  whole,  he  decided  to  say  no 
more  than  that  he  had  gone  to  take  a  short  run 
down  the  coast,  as  he  was  bored  at  Naples. 


200  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

He  went  ashore  with  the  note  himself,  and 
leaving  the  cutter  at  the  quay  to  wait  for  him, 
he  set  out  on  foot  for  the  Hotel  du  Vesuve, 
where  Jack  was  to  report  on  his  arrival.  The 
morning  was  already  well  advanced,  and  the  heat 
was  becoming  fervent ;  but  Jerry,  freshened  by 
his  recent  swim,  went  blithely  on  his  way.  At  the 
hotel  he  said  to  the  porter  that  he  wished  to  leave 
a  letter  for  a  gentleman  who  was  soon  to  arrive, 
and  produced  his  note.  The  official  glanced  at 
the  superscription,  and  observed  that  the  traveler 
was  already  there. 

Jerry  stared  at  him  dumfounded. 

"  Arrived  ?  "  he  gasped.    "  When  ?  " 

"  He  came  on  the  night  train  from  Rome," 
replied  the  porter,  whose  English  was  almost  as 
good  as  that  of  Taberman.  "  He  came  on  the 
train  that  gets  in  at  half-past  eight  in  the  morn 
ing.  He  is  escorting  two  ladies.  They  are  now 
at  breakfast." 

Tab  stood  fora  moment  plunged  in  perplexity. 
This  unexpected  arrival  of  Jack  made  his  scheme 
of  aiding  Wrenmarsh  dreadfully  difficult,  and  per 
haps  even  impossible.  He  felt  himself  pledged, 
however,  and  he  reflected  that  whatever  were 
Jack's  plans  the  captain  would  hardly  hinder  him 
from  keeping  a  promise  which  he  had  made  on  the 


A  LONE-HAND  GAME  201 

strength  of  the  supposition  that  the  Merle  was  to 
be  in  his  hands  a  full  month.  Jack  had  come 
back  before  his  time,  but  Tab  said  to  himself  that 
this  would  surely  make  no  difference  in  his  fulfill 
ing  his  obligations  to  the  archaeologist. 

He  asked  for  the  breakfast  party,  and  was  shown 
into  the  carefully  shaded  dining-room  where  they 
were  seated.  Hearty  greetings  followed,  and  he 
sat  and  talked  with  them  while  they  finished  their 
repast. 

All  three  looked  a  bit  fagged.  Even  Mrs.  Fair- 
hew,  accustomed  as  she  was  to  European  travel 
of  all  sorts,  had  dark  circles  under  her  keen  eyes. 
She  was  dressed,  not  according  to  her  wont  in 
black,  but  in  a  soft  gray  which  well  set  off  her 
brilliant  complexion,  so  that  in  spite  of  the  look 
of  fatigue  she  appeared  much  as  she  had  when  the 
travelers  had  met  at  Nice.  Jack  was  clad  in  a  suit 
of  white  linen,  with  a  collarless  jacket  such  as  is 
worn  by  naval  officers  in  hot  climates.  His  hair 
had  been  recently  cut,  and  in  such  a  manner  as 
to  cause  each  separate  spike  along  the  parting  to 
stand  up  in  stiff  defiance.  Jerry  politely  told  him 
he  looked  more  like  a  criminal  than  usual,  but 
Miss  Marchfield  protested  rather  indignantly.  In 
Katrine  Jerry  seemed  to  detect  more  alteration 
than  in  the  others.  Her  air  had  grown  more  se-. 


202  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

date,  as  if  the  widening  of  her  mental  horizon  had, 
even  in  these  few  weeks,  given  her  a  new  maturity 
and  self-poise.  The  heat  had  perhaps  told  on  her 
more  than  on  the  others,  but  in  spite  of  some  ap 
pearance  of  fatigue  she  had  an  air  of  joyous  alert 
ness  which  showed  her  buoyant  and  happy. 

"  How  is  it  that  you  are  here  so  soon  ? "  Tab- 
erman  asked,  after  a  minute  of  general  talk.  "  I 
thought  you  'd  be  late,  if  anything." 

"There  was  a  good  deal  of  sickness  at  Rome," 
Jack  answered,  "  and  when  a  man  died  of  typhoid 
fever  in  the  very  hotel  we  were  at,  it  seemed  time 
to  move  on." 

Mrs.  Fairhew  gave  a  little  shudder. 

"Only  fancy,"  she  said,  —  "we  knew  nothing 
about  it  until  he  had  been  dead  an  hour.  They 
told  us  after  breakfast  yesterday  morning.  It  was 
rather  unpleasant,  you  '11  grant." 

"  It  must  have  been  ghastly,"  agreed  Tab,  "  but 
I  hope  you  '11  do  better  in  Naples.  It  has  at  least 
the  advantage  of  being  on  the  sea." 

"  And  of  being  one  of  the  dirtiest  places  in 
Italy,"  she  responded  grimly.  "  However,  I  'm 
not  one  to  borrow  trouble,  and  we  '11  trust  in  the 
sea  air." 

"  You  're  really  becoming  amphibious,  Mr.  Tab- 
erman,"  Katrine  observed,  with  a  smile.  "  I  half 


A  LONE-HAND  GAME  203 

fancy  that  if  you  were  blindfolded  you  could  smell 
your  way  to  the  water  like  a  turtle." 

"  The  man  that  piloted  the  Merle  from  North 
Haven  to  the  Island  said  he  went  by  smell,"  re 
sponded  Jerry. 

He  caught  Jack's  eye  as  he  spoke,  and  cast 
down  his  glance  in  confusion.  Mrs.  Fairhew  re 
garded  him  curiously. 

"  How  did  Mr.  Drake  like  that  sort  of  a  pilot  ? " 
she  asked. 

"  He  did  n't  hear  the  remark,"  Jack  put  in  has 
tily.  "  Uncle  Randolph  would  n't  have  approved 
of  that  sort  of  work,  I  rather  fancy." 

Jerry  made  a  grimace,  and  echoed  the  senti 
ment,  but  he  added  that  Dave  was  really  an  excel 
lent  sailor,  and  that  personally  he  'd  trust  the  fel 
low's  sense  of  smell  sooner  than  he  would  the  skill 
of  most  pilots.  The  dangerous  moment  passed 
without  further  allusion  to  the  President,  and  the 
talk  turned  to  other  matters. 

"Is  there  any  one  here  we  know?"  inquired 
Mrs.  Fairhew.  "  I  suppose  it  is  hardly  possible 
at  this  time  of  year." 

"  I  don't  believe  there  is,"  answered  Tab,  "  un 
less,"  he  added,  a  sudden  thought  striking  him, 
"  you  know  where  Paestum  is  ?  " 

"  Certainly.    I  Ve    been   looking  forward  with 


204  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

dread  to  dragging  Katrine  down  there  to  see  the 
temples,  though  really  the  time  of  year  ought  to 
excuse  us." 

"  Well,  there  's  a  sort  of  Anglo-American  luna 
tic  archaeologist  down  there,  named  Wrenmarsh. 
Have  you  ever  heard  of  him?  He  has  relatives 
in  Boston,  I  understood  him." 

Mrs.  Fairhew  set  down  the  coffee-cup  she  was 
just  raising  to  her  lips,  and  looked  at  Jerry  with 
a  keen  glance  in  which  amusement  and  surprise 
seemed  to  be  mingled. 

"  What  is  his  Christian  name  ?  "  she*  asked. 

"  Gordon." 

"  Gordon  Wrenmarsh  at  Paestum  !  Well,  the 
world  is  small,  and  he  might  be  anywhere,  —  at 
least  anywhere  where  he  was  not  expected  to  be. 
Did  you  never  hear  of  him  ?  But  no,  you  would  n't; 
you  're  too  young.  He  is  one  of  my  contempora 
ries,  and  he  has  been  on  this  side  of  the  water  for 
ever  so  long." 

"  Is  it  possible  ?  "  Jerry  cried  gallantly.  "  I 
should  n't  have  suspected  that  he  was  so  young  !  " 

"  Nobody  can  mistake  you  when  you  wish  to 
pay  a  compliment,"  she  said,  with  a  smile  that  had 
in  it  a  tinge  of  satire.  "  But  did  you  really  see 
Gordon  Wrenmarsh  ?  I  have»n't  heard  of  him  for 
years.  What  is  he  doing?  At  one  time  he  was  a 


A  LONE-HAND  GAME  205 

friend  of  Mr.  Fairhew  ;  they  were  in  the  same  class 
at  Harvard." 

She  showed  a  genuine  interest,  Jerry  thought ; 
and  at  any  rate  this  seemed  to  him  a  good  time  to 
prepare  Jack  for  the  plan  evolved  between  him  and 
the  archaeologist,  so  he  launched  forth  on  the  nar 
rative  of  his  visit  to  Paestum.  He  did  not  partic 
ularize,  but  he  did  not  hesitate  to  say  that  the 
archaeologist  had  chanced  upon  a  rich  find  which 
he  was  guarding  in  the  hope  of  running  it  safely 
out  of  the  country. 

"  Why  should  n't  he  take  it  out  of  the  country 
if  he 's  bought  it?"  Katrine  asked,  with  an  air  of 
interest. 

"  The  Italian  law  says  he  shan't,"  Jack  an 
swered,  with  a  smile. 

"  Why,  if  it 's  his,  he  has  a  right  to  do  what  he 
pleases,  I  should  think,"  she  responded. 

"  But  there  's  a  law  against  carrying  works  of 
art  out  of  the  country." 

"  What  a  horrid,  unjust  law  !  "  she  protested. 
"If  they  were  mine,  I  'd  take  them  out ;  you  may 
be  sure  of  that." 

"  I  'd  help  you,"  Jack  assured  her  lightly. 

Jerry  was  secretly  so  pleased  at  this  passage  that 
he  endeavored  to  keep  the  conversation  in  the  same 
line  by  inquiring  of  Mrs.  Fairhew  further  particu- 


206  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

lars  about  the  strange  creature  with  whom  he  had 
made  tryst. 

"Was  Mr.  Wrenmarsh  always  as  peculiar  as  he 
is  now  ? "  he  asked. 

"  I  'm  not  able  to  tell  you  that,"  she  returned, 
"  as  I  have  no  means  of  knowing  how  much  he  has 
changed  ;  but  when  I  knew  him  he  was  the  most 
extraordinary  creature.  He  was  always  offended 
if  people  did  n't  notice  his  eccentricities,  and  if 
they  did  he  jibed  at  their  provincialism.  He  said 
he  had  to  become  an  Englishman  because  our  civ 
ilization  was  so  crude,  and  he  never  forgave  Bos- 
tonians  for  being  so  little  concerned  by  his  change 
of  nationality." 

"  You  seem  to  have  picked  up  rather  a  choice 
acquaintance,  Jerry,"  observed  Jack  good-na 
turedly. 

"Oh,  Mr.  Wrenmarsh  became  utterly  impossi 
ble,"  Mrs.  Fairhew  continued.  "  He  really  had  a 
lot  of  ability,  and  I  'm  told  that  now  he  's  done 
some  remarkable  things  in  getting  antiques  for 
the  British  Museum.  His  own  people  could  n't 
get  on  with  him  at  all." 

"  What  an  extraordinary  creature  he  must  be!" 
commented  Katrine.  "  Did  you  take  him  for  a 
wild  man,  Mr.  Taberman,  when  you  found  him 
wandering  about  among  the  ruins  of  Paestum  ?  " 


A  LONE-HAND  GAME  207 

"  No,"  Jerry  returned,  rather  regretting  that  he 
had  continued  the  talk  about  Mr.  Wrenmarsh. 
"  He  came  into  the  little  hovel  of  an  inn  there 
while  I  was  trying  to  get  something  to  eat." 

"  Well,  anyway  I  hope  he'll  get  his  things  safe," 
she  added.  "  They  're  his,  and  the  government  has 
no  right  to  interfere  with  him." 

"  I  hope  he  may,"  Tab  responded  rather  dispir 
itedly. 

Breakfast  being  ended,  the  ladies  betook  them 
selves  to  their  rooms  to  rest  after  the  fatigues  of 
their  night  of  travel. 

"  If  I  were  a  billionaire,"  Mrs.  Fairhew  observed, 
"  I  would  never  go  anywhere  by  night  except  on  my 
own  private  car.  All  sleepers  are  an  abomination, 
and  I  hate  the  thought  of  who  may  have  been  in  the 
compartment  when  I  have  to  sleep  in  it.  I  hope 
we  shall  see  you  at  dinner,  Mr.  Taberman  ? " 

"  Thank  you,"  Jerry  answered,  "  but  I  have 
business  to-night.  I  assure  you  I  regret  it  tre 
mendously." 

"  Well,"  the  lady  returned  over  her  shoulder  as 
she  departed,  "  at  least  we  shall  expect  to  see  you 
to-morrow  ;  and  I  hope  you'll  leave  us  Mr.  Castle- 
port." 

"  Glad  to,"  laughed  Jerry,  with  a  nod  ;  and  the 
men  were  left  to  themselves. 


208  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

Jerry  turned  quickly  to  Jack  the  moment  they 
were  alone,  with  a  look  of  earnestness  and  concern 
in  his  face. 

"  Cap'n,"  he  said  urgently,  "  come  somewhere 
where  we  can  talk,  will  you  ?  We  've  got  heaps  to 
say,  and  my  time  's  precious." 

"  Jerry,"  cried  the  other,  catching  him  by  the 
arm,  "  something  has  happened  to  the  Merle  !  " 

"  Not  a  thing,  Jacko.  She  is  as  right  as  a  trivet, 
but  I  'm  in  a  hurry.  Come  on  !  " 

"Hurry  ?  "  echoed  Jack,  following  him  in  evi 
dent  disquiet;  "  what  in  the  world  's  up  ?  It  can't 
be  mutiny,  and  if  the  yacht 's  all  right,  I  don't 
see  "  — 

"  I  '11  explain,"  Taberman  responded.  "  I  know 
a  jolly  little  place  just  round  the  corner.  Come 
on." 

Jack  suffered  himself  to  be  led  to  a  small  cafe 
which  bore  the  rather  incongruously  ambitious 
name  Albergo  del  Sole,  and  which  displayed  on  the 
yellowish  wall  above  its  entrance  a  rising  sun, 
blood-red  and  most  magnificent  as  to  its  rays.  At 
one  of  the  little  tables  which  covered  the  sidewalk 
before  this  establishment,  the  pair  took  their  places. 
Tab  produced  his  cigarette-case  and  ordered  a  glass 
of  vermouth  as  he  offered  his  friend  a  smoke. 
Jack,  with  a  hardly  perceptible  compression  of  the 


A  LONE-HAND  GAME  209 

lips  which  showed  that  he  was  controlling  his  im 
patience  and  waiting  for  Tab  to  speak,  rolled  his 
cigarette  between  his  thumb  and  forefinger  to 
loosen  it,  tapped  it  on  the  table-top,  and  lighted  it 
with  great  deliberation.  Jerry  did  the  same,  but 
with  evident  nervousness. 

"  Jack,"  said  he,  "  I  have  been,  and  gone,  and 
done  it,  for  fair!" 

"  What  ?  "  inquired  Jack  in  a  tone  mildly  inci 
sive. 

"Well,  you  see  —  it's  this  way,"  Tab  an 
swered.  "  Of  course  I  have  n't  really  done  any 
thing  yet,  but  I  think  I  'm  bound  to,  and  if  y^ou 
don't  think  so —  Well,  you  can  see  it'll  be 
devilish  hard  on  me  as  well  as  him." 

Jack  blew  a  smoke-ring,  and  looked  at  Jerry 
with  a  queer  smile. 

"  It  must  be  something  pretty  bad,  Jerry,"  he 
said,  "if  you  don't  dare  tell  me  what  it  is." 

Jerry  looked  at  him  a  minute,  and  then  broke 
into  a  grin. 

"  Why,"  he  said,  more  at  his  ease,  "it's  that 
damned  archaeologist,  that  bedlamite  Wrenmarsh 
I  was  talking  about  at  the  hotel.  Well,  not  having 
anything  else  to  do,  I  went  down  to  Paestum  to 
see  the  temples  and  kill  time,  and  I  fell  into  his 
clutches.  I  had  a  lot  of  talk  with  him,  or  he  did 


210  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

with  me.  He  knows  a  pile  about  the  temples,  and 
he  did  the  showman  in  great  shape.  Incidentally 
he  told  me  all  about  his  own  affairs.  I  did  n't  ask 
him,  mind  you.  He  just  did  it  off  his  own  bat.  I 
could  n't  help  that,  now  could  I  ?  " 

"  I  don't  see  how  you  could,"  Jack  assented ; 
"  and  no  more  do  I  see  why  you  should  want 
to." 

"  Why,  a  chap  down  there  —  a  Dago  peasant, 
you  know —  has  turned  up  a  dreadful  mess  of 
stuff  Wrenmarsh  has  bought.  I  told  you  all  that 
at  breakfast." 

"Yes,"  Jack  said  imperturbably. 

"  You  see,  Wrenmarsh  turned  to  and  bought 
the  whole  slithering  lot  of  it,  and  he  's  just  crazy 
over  it;  but  as  I  said  at  the  hotel,  he  's  up  against 
the  government,  and  he  does  n't  know  how  under 
the  heavens  he  's  going  to  get  the  loot  out  of 
Italy." 

"  Great  Scott,  Tab,  did  you  undertake  to  run 
his  things  out  of  the  country  for  him?  In  the 
Merle,  too?"  cried  Jack,  at  last  showing  some 
consternation. 

"It's  not  quite  so  bad  as  that,"  Jerry  protested  ; 
"  but  I  did  tell  him  I  'd  help  him  out  of  Psestum 
and  up  here.  Naples  is  all  I  agreed  to.  That 's 
all  he  asked." 


A  LONE-HAND  GAME  211 

Castleport  smoked  in  silence  a  moment,  look 
ing  decidedly  grave. 

"Jack,  old  man,"  Jerry  said  pleadingly,  "  I  Ve 
been  an  awful  ass,  but  the  way  that  beastly  Wren- 
marsh  snarled  me  up  with  his  talk  was  perfectly 
inconceivable.  He  'd  have  talked  the  tail  off  a 
brass  monkey.  He  kept  appealing  to  my  sense 
of  honor  and  heaven  knows  what,  until  I  felt  that 
I  'd  be  a  perfect  cad  not  to  help  him." 

"  That 's  all  right,  Tab,"  Jack  answered  thought 
fully.  "  It 's  only  the  Merle  —  I  should  hate 
awfully  to  get  her  into  a  mess." 

"  He  assured  me  that  nothing  could  happen  to 
her,  and  I  don't  think  he  'd  lie." 

"  Well,  if  that 's  so,  there  's  no  great  harm  done, 
old  man.  What  are  you  worrying  over  ?  " 

"  I  'm  not  worrying  at  all,  Jacko,  if  you  don't 
object  to  my  keeping  my  word.  Just  continue  my 
letters  of  marque  until  to-morrow.  I  promised 
him  I  'd  go  down  this  afternoon.  You  will  be  in 
command,  of  course,  now  you  're  here  ;  but  I  'd 
hate  to  think  of  the  poor  wretch  waiting  down 
there  in  the  marshes  for  me  —  it's  an  awful  place 
for  malaria  !  —  and  I  not  coming  at  all." 

"  Oh,  I  shan't  interfere,"  Jack  said  quickly.  "  I 
had  made  up  my  mind  to  stay  on  shore  one  night 
more  anyway,  and  I  really  gave  you  the  yacht 


212  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

till  the  twentieth.  You  shall  run  this  thing  your 
self;  but,  by  Jove,  to  think  of  Uncle  Randolph's 
Merle  in  business  like  that !  " 

"  We  started  out  to  be  pirates  anyway,"  laughed 
Jerry,  "and  we  haven't  lived  up  to  our  reputa 
tion  so  far.  Well,  I  '11  try  it.  I  shall  be  rid  of  the 
beggar  by  ten  o'clock  to-morrow,  wind  and  wea 
ther  permitting.  It 's  awful  good  of  you,  old  man. 
I  thought  you'd  think  I  was  a  bally-ass  to  let 
myself  be  bamboozled  that  way;  but  when  he  was 
talking  to  me  I  felt  as  if  he  was  being  awfully 
bully-ragged,  and  I  ought  to  help  him  out." 

"  Of  course,"  was  Jack's  response.  "  Did  n't 
you  notice  how  Katrine  had  exactly  the  same  feel 
ing,  just  from  your  telling  about  it? " 

Tab  felt  like  winking  to  himself,  but  he  pre 
served  a  grave  countenance,  and  only  asked, — 

"  What  will  you  tell  Mrs.  Fairhew  about  the 
Merle's  being  away  ?  " 

"  Oh,  that  's  simple  enough.  I  '11  tell  her  you 
wanted  to  visit  Passtum  again,  and  you  can  say 
afterward  that  you  ran  across  Wrenmarsh  and 
brought  him  up  to  Naples.  Twig  it  ?  " 

"  Clear  as  a  bell.   Come  down  and  see  me.  off." 

He  sprang  from  his  chair  with  animation, 
greatly  relieved  that  the  captain  had  not  pre 
vented  him  from  carrying  out  his  plan.  As  Jack 


A  LONE-HAND  GAME  213 

rose  also,  Jerry  laid  his  hand  affectionately  on  his 
shoulder. 

"  It 's  awfully  good  of  you,  old  man,"  he  said. 

"  Nonsense.    It 's  a  mighty  little  thing  to  do 

for  you,  when  you  came  across  the  Atlantic  for 

» 
me. 

"  Oh,  rats  !  "  Tab  rejoined  inelegantly.  "  I 
came  for  the  fun  of  it." 

They  paid  the  reckoning,  and  made  their  way 
to  the  quay,  where  for  an  hour  and  a  half  the  boat 
had  been  waiting  for  Jerry.  The  men  were  loll 
ing  about  in  the  stray  corners  of  shade  available, 
smoking  and  sleepily  exchanging  occasional  re 
marks  ;  but  at  the  sight  of  the  captain  they  woke 
up  at  once. 

"Here's  the  skipper,"  cried  one,  jumping  to 
his  feet  and  saluting. 

The  others  followed  his  example  with  alacrity, 
and  Jack  could  not  but  be  gratified  by  the  unmis 
takable  pleasure  they  showed  at  seeing  him  again. 

"  How  are  you,  boys  ?  "  he  said  cheerily.  "  Glad 
to  see  you  all.  You  seem  to  be  in  fighting  trim, 
the  whole  lot  of  you." 

"  We  're  bang  up,  sir,"  responded  Dave,  with  a 
grin.  "  'T  ain't  the  kind  o'  weather  we  left  home 
in,  sir." 

"  Not  exactly,"  Jack  responded  laughingly,  as 


A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

he  took  his  place  in  the  stern-sheets  ;  "  but  I  hope 
you  don't  miss  the  fog  too  much.  Oars  !  " 

Jack  stayed  on  the  Merle  for  an  hour  and  a 
half,  reading  the  log  and  exchanging  with  Jerry 
all  the  news  that  either  could  rake  up.  Gonzague 
made  errands  into  the  cabin  evidently  for  the  pur 
pose  of  feasting  his  eyes  on  his  master,  and  beamed 
with  delight  at  every  word  Castleport  spoke  to 
him.  When  the  old  man  found  that  the  captain 
had  not  come  to  remain,  he  looked  so  doleful 
that  Castleport  rallied  him  about  not  liking  Tab 
as  a  skipper. 

"  Eet  ees  not  dat,"  Gonzague  responded,  with 
eloquent  hands  and  shoulders  ;  "  he  ees  fine  as  de 
seelk,  but  —  but  Mistaire  Taberman  he  ees  not 
zee  capataine  you." 

Jerry  was  anxious  to  make  an  early  start  for 
Paestum,  as  the  wind  was  light,  so  Jack  took  his 
leave  with  hearty  wishes  for  a  prosperous  run. 
Jerry  went  with  him  to  the  steps. 

"  By  the  way,  Jack,"  he  asked  in  an  undertone, 
as  the  captain  was  about  to  descend  to  take  his 
place  in  the  cutter, "  are  congratulations  in  order  ?  " 

Castleport  looked  away  from  his  friend  toward 
where,  across  the  bay,  in  a  dim  haze  of  purple, 
stood  Capri.  Then  he  glanced  quickly  into  Jerry's 
eyes. 


A  LONE-HAND  GAME  215 

"I  —  I  have  n't  said  anything  to  her,"  he  an 
swered  simply. 

He  ran  down  the  steps  to  the  cutter.  Gonzague 
himself  had  taken  the  boat-hook  to  hold  the  craft 
steady.  Castleport  put  his  hand  kindly  on  the 
old  man's  shoulder. 

"  Good-by,  Gonzague,"  he  said.  "  I  'm  coming 
aboard  for  keeps  to-morrow.  Good-by,  Jerry." 

"Good-by,  and  —  good  luck,"  called  Tab  in 
reply,  as  the  cutter  started  away. 

It  lacked  a  quarter  of  an  hour  to  twelve  that 
night  when  the  Merle  hove  to  a  cable's  length 
ofFPaestum.  The  wind  had  freshened  at  sundown, 
and  was  blowing  a  smart  breeze  from  the  west. 
Jerry  had  the  cutter  lowered,  and,  leaving  Gon 
zague  in  charge,  with  stringent  orders  to  keep  the 
yacht  lying  where  she  was,  had  himself  pulled 
toward  the  shore.  The  men  had  no  notion  what 
was  going  on,  but  they  obeyed  orders  with  a 
prompt  alacrity  which  showed  that  they  felt  that 
something  of  unusual  import  was  in  this  business. 
When  the  cutter  was  within  about  a  hundred  feet 
of  the  shore,  Tab  ordered  the  men  to  lie  on  their 
oars,  and  keep  watch  for  a  light.  In  silence  and 
utter  darkness,  for  though  the  stars  were  shining 
there  was  no  moon,  they  tossed  about  in  the  black 


216  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

troughs  of  the  sea  for  twenty  minutes.  Then  Dave 
uttered  a  guarded  exclamation. 

"  There  's  a  light,  sir,"  he  said.  "  See,  there  it 
is  again." 

"  Lay  her  head  for  it,  and  pull !  "  commanded 
Jerry,  feeling  as  if  he  were  in  a  pirate  novel.  "  No 
noise,  mind  !  " 

The  light  had  appeared  for  an  instant  some  two 
or  three  hundred  feet  up  the  shore  from  the  point 
off  which  the  cutter  lay  rolling.  They  pulled 
quietly  for  the  spot,  the  oars  sounding  softly,  the 
water  lapping  the  bows  of  the  boat,  and  the  wind 
bringing  to  their  ears  the  muffled  rote  as  of  a  sand 
beach. 

"  Let  her  run,"  ordered  Tab  in  an  undertone. 
"  Can  you  see  the  light  ?  " 

For  a  minute  they  rolled  in  darkness  as  be 
fore,  and  then  again  sighted  the  signal,  this  time 
straight  in  shore.  Jerry  felt  his  heart  beat  as  he 
gave  the  order  to  run  in,  and  a  consciousness  of 
romantic  adventure,  lawless  and  wild,  was  like  a 
sweet  and  exhilarating  flavor  in  his  mouth.  Such 
a  deed  on  his  native  shores  would  have  had  an 
atmosphere  of  secret  villany  about  it,  but  here,  in 
alien  waters,  on  a  foreign  coast,  under  the  darkness 
of  night,  the  romantic  side  was  intensified  a  thou 
sand-fold.  A  whimsical  feeling  flitted  through  the 


A  LONE-HAND  GAME  217 

back  of  his  head  that  he  ought  to  be  dressed  differ 
ently  for  such  an  occasion ;  that  he  should  have  had 
a  shaggy  black  beard,  a  red  sash  stuck  full  of  pis 
tols,  and  half  a  dozen  cutlasses  disposed  promis 
cuously  about  his  person.  He  was  not  without  a 
fleeting  consciousness  that  some  time  he  might  at 
home,  to  the  old  crowd  of  college  boys,  find  a  keen 
joy  in  telling  of  this  night,  and  —  But  the  light 
flashed  out  again,  this  time  so  near  that  the  cut 
ter  lay  full  in  the  middle  of  the  dark,  fire-sprinkled 
path  it  illumined ;  and  Jerry's  entire  mind  was 
called  back  to  the  business  in  hand.  He  could  in 
the  light  see  the  cheeks  of  the  men  in  front  of  him 
as  they  swayed  with  their  rowing,  the  brass  row 
locks  of  the  cutter,  and  the  dripping  blades  of  the 
oars.  He  strained  his  eyes  toward  the  land,  but 
was  blinded  by  the  glare  into  which  he  looked  ; 
and  on  the  instant  a  voice,  eager  but  subdued, 
hailed  from  the  shore  some  twenty  feet  away. 
"  Hallo  !  Are  you  there,  Mr.  Taberman  ?  " 
"  Here  all  right,"  answered  Jerry.  "  Eyes  in 
the  boat !  "  he  added  sharply  to  the  men,  every 
one  of  whom  except  Dave  had  turned  to  look 
ashore.  "  Three  good  strokes  now :  Stroke  ! 
Stroke  !  Stroke  !  .  .  .  Let  her  run  !  " 

The  nose  of  the  cutter  ground  on  a  sand-beach ; 
the  bowsman  sprang  ashore  with  the  painter  and 


2i8  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

held  her,  while  Jerry  clambered  forward,  steadying 
himself  with  a  hand  on  the  shoulder  of  the  rowers. 
On  leaping  to  the  land,  he  was  confronted  by  Mr. 
Wrenmarsh.  That  gentleman  shifted  the  lantern 
he  held  from  his  right  hand  to  his  left,  and  shook 
hands  with  Taberman  fervently. 

"You  're  just  in  time,"  he  said  hurriedly.  "  We 
haven't  a  second  to  lose.  The  boxes  are  right  here 
on  the  edge  of  the  grass.  Come  on  with  your  men. 
It'll  take  four  of  them  for  that  biggest  box." 

Jerry  called  the  four  men  who  were  nearest,  and 
telling  the  rest  to  stand  by,  he  hurried  up  the  beach. 
In  the  sand,  by  the  light  of  the  lantern  with  which 
the  archaeologist  came  after  him,  he  saw  the  print 
of  wheels  leading  up  to  a  pile  of  rude  wooden 
cases.  Three  of  them  were  of  moderate  size,  but  the 
fourth  looked  to  Tab  huge  in  the  semi-darkness. 

"  How  big  is  that  thing?  "  he  asked,  touching 
it  with  his  foot. 

"Don't  kick  it!"  Wrenmarsh  responded 
quickly  and  sharply.  "  It 's  only  about  a  metre 
square  and  half  as  deep.  I  could  n't  make  it  any 
smaller." 

Jerry  whistled  with  dismay. 

"  We  may  lose  it  overboard  on  the  way  to  the 
Merle,"  he  remarked  cruelly.  Then  without  heed 
ing  the  dismayed  exclamation  of  the  collector,  he 


A  LONE-HAND  GAME  219 

ordered  the  men  to  take  that  first.  "  Put  it  as  far 
astern  as  you  can,"  he  said.  "  I  'm  afraid  you  '11 
have  to  wade  in  with  it." 

"  For  God's  sake  hurry,"  cried  Wren  marsh. 
"  I  know  that  beastly  carter  has  put  the  custodi  up 
to  the  job  by  this  time.  Only  don't  drop  that 
case  !  "  he  added,  running  along  by  the  side  of  the 
bearers  with  the  lantern  swinging  wildly  to  and 
fro  and  bumping  against  his  legs. 

The  case  was  evidently  pretty  heavy,  and  the 
men  breathed  deep  as  they  carried  it  across  the 
loose  sand.  By  dint  of  the  men's  wading  in  beside 
the  cutter  the  big  box  was  safely  deposited  in  the 
stern-sheets,  and  the  sailors  went  back  for  a  new 
load.  A  second  box  was  stowed  without  trouble, 
but  as  the  two  others,  which  were  fortunately  the 
smallest,  were  being  lifted  by  two  men  each,  Wren- 
marsh  clutched  Taberman  by  the  arm. 

"  Look  there  !  "  he  cried.  "  Look  there  ! 
Quick,  men  !  For  God's  sake,  quick  !  " 

Not  more  than  a  hundred  yards  away  on  the 
beach  to  the  southward  was  an  advancing  lantern. 
Suddenly  it  stopped. 

"  What  is  it  ?  "  asked  Tab. 

The  men,  spurred  on  by  Wrenmarsh,  were 
fairly  running  across  the  sand,  and  Tab  skurried 
along  with  them  toward  the  boat. 


220  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

"  Hurry  !  Hurry  !  "  was  the  breathless  response 
of  Wrenmarsh.  "  It's  the  custodi  and  the  police 
—  those  cursed  carabinieril  I  told  you  the  car 
ter  'd  sell  me  out." 

It  was  only  a  minute  before  the  men  had  reached 
the  boat,  and  hurriedly  stowed  the  boxes  they 
carried.  Taberman  and  Wrenmarsh  scrambled  in, 
and  Jerry,  sitting  in  a  distorted  and  cramped  posi 
tion  behind  the  big  box,  got  hold  of  the  lines.  The 
men  pushed  off,  and  got  into  their  places  anyhow. 
Just  as  Tab  opened  his  lips  to  order  the  men  to 
give  way,  a  peremptory  voice  came  to  them  from 
the  shore  to  the  south.  The  light  had  not  ad 
vanced  from  where  they  had  seen  it  stop,  but  it 
had  gone  waving  wildly  up  and  down  the  beach 
as  if  the  bearers  had  encountered  some  impassable 
obstacle  and  sought  in  vain  for  a  place  which 
would  allow  a  passage. 

"Aspetta!"  bawled  the  voice.  "  Aspetta  nel 
nomme  del  Re  !  " 

"  What 's  that  ?  "  asked  Jerry. 

"They're  calling  us  to  stand  —  in  the  king's 
name,"  Mr.  Wrenmarsh  returned  with  sullen 
nervousness. 

"Head  the  boat  'round,"  cried  Tab.  "Why 
the  devil  don't  they  come  down  if  they  want  us  ?  " 

"  I    can't    imagine,"    the    collector    answered. 


A  LONE-HAND  GAME  221 

"  Perhaps  they  're  afraid  of  us  ;  but  I  don't  think 
that  can  be  it." 

"  As'petta  !  "  thundered  the  voice  on  shore  more 
savagely.  "  Aspetta  o  tiriamo  ! " 

"  By  Jove  !  The  sands  !  "  cried  Wrenmarsh. 
"There's  a  brook  there  —  the  bottom's  quick 
sand.  They  dare  n't  try  to  cross." 

"  Quicksand  ?  "  echoed  Tab.  "  How  'd  they 
come  there,  then?" 

"  They  must  have  thought  we  were  on  the  other 
side  of  the  stream.  They  've  come  up  on  the 
wrong  bank,  and  now  they  can't  get  over." 

Bang  !  There  was  a  quick,  loud  report,  and 
Jerry  heard  the  wht  of  a  carbine  ball  close  astern. 

"  Great  Scott !"  he  shouted.  "  Douse  that  glim  ! 
Pull!  Pull!" 

Wrenmarsh  seized  the  lantern  and  dipped  it 
overboard,  an  effective  if  irregular  way  of  quench 
ing  it. 

Bang !  Bang  !  Two  more  shots.  One  of  the 
men,  Hunter,  pulling  on  the  third  thwart,  after 
ward  swore  that  he  felt  the  wind  of  the  second 
bullet. 

Bang ! 

"  Pull  hard,  men  !    Steady  !  "  cried  Jerry. 

A  man  of  race  and  training,  while  in  a  crisis  of 
this  sort  he  feels  more  excitement  than  his  thicker- 


222  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

skinned  fellows,  displays  more  outward  coolness. 
Social  development  means  the  power  of  self-con 
trol,  especially  when  any  sense  of  responsibility  is 
involved.  Taberman  was  inwardly  wild  with  the 
stirring  emotions  of  an  experience  such  as  he  not 
only  had  never  encountered  but  of  which  he  had 
heard  in  a  hundred  ways  which  lent  associations 
to  heighten  the  effect ;  yet  he  did  not  lose  for  a 
moment  his  sense  of  having  the  men  to  care  for. 
He  kept  his  head,  and  called  the  stroke  for  the 
rowers.  They  showed  by  their  tendency  to  pull 
wildly  how  near  they  were  to  demoralization,  and 
Jerry  urged  them  to  steadiness  with  language  of 
the  most  picturesque  emphasis. 

Bang !  Bang  !  Bang !  Three  shots.  At  the 
third  there  was  a  sharp  rap,  as  if  the  cutter  had 
been  hit  by  a  pebble,  and  a  queer  little  squeak  of 
splintering  wood.  Tab  started  up,  but  instantly 
sat  down  again,  catching  at  the  yoke-line  he  had 
half  let  fall. 

"  Close  call,"  Wrenmarsh  said  nervously. 

"Yes,"  Jerry  answered  laconically.  "Stroke! 
Stroke  !  Steady  !  " 

At  the  instant  he  had  heard  the  sound  of  the 
ball  on  the  wood  of  the  boat,  he  had  felt  a  sharp 
twinge  in  his  left  arm,  as  if  the  muscle  had  been 
suddenly  tweaked  off  the  bone  by  a  pair  of  white- 


A  LONE-HAND  GAME  223 

hot  pincers.  The  pain  was  exquisite,  but  he  forced 
himself  to  keep  calm,  and  beyond  the  first  involun 
tary  spring  he  gave  no  indication  that  he  had  been 
hit.  In  a  sort  of  double  consciousness  he  kept 
saying  to  himself  that  he  wondered  how  severe  the 
hurt  was,  and  at  the  same  time  he  seemed  to  be 
lifted  by  sheer  will  and  excitement  above  even  the 
physical  feeling  of  the  moment. 

"  Steady  !  "  he  said,  and  was  queerly  conscious 
of  a  sort  of  exultation  that  his  voice  was  so  strong 
and  natural.  "  We  're  'most  out  of  range." 

Other  shots  followed,  but  they  splashed  harm 
lessly  astern.  The  darkness  was  a  shelter,  and 
although  the  carbines  flashed  again  and  again  from 
the  shore,  no  more  damage  was  done  on  board 
the  cutter.  Ahead  of  them  Tab,  holding  himself 
together  grimly,  saw  the  red  and  green  sailing- 
lights  of  the  Merle,  and  realized  that  at  the  sound 
of  the  firing  Gonzague  must  have  run  the  yacht 
in  shore. 

"  Ahoy  !  "  Jerry  called. 

Tears  of  pain  suffused  his  eyes  in  spite  of  him, 
and  made  the  colored  lights  big  and  blurry,  as  if 
they  were  the  glaring  orbs  of  some  huge  dragon. 

"  Holla  !  "  came  Gonzague's  voice.  "  A'  right, 
sair  !  "  and  with  a  deafening  boom  of  canvas  the 
schooner  luffed  up. 


224  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

Jerry  put  his  right  arm  behind  him,  his  left 
hanging  limply,  and  getting  hold  of  the  rudder- 
yoke  he  laid  the  cutter  alongside  the  yacht.  He 
and  Wrenmarsh  got  up  to  the  deck,  a  davit  was 
turned  out-board  as  a  crane  and  the  boxes  hoisted, 
and  then  the  boat  slung  up. 

Faint  and  savage  with  pain,  Jerry  still  fought 
with  himself  to  keep  up,  and  to  fulfill  his  duties  as 
commander.  He  remembered  that  his  order  for  the 
Merle  to  lie  to  where  she  was  had  been  disregarded  ; 
and  though  he  was  inwardly  glad  that  the  yacht 
had  been  brought  to  meet  the  cutter,  he  felt  that 
discipline  was  discipline,  and  he  was  in  no  mood 
to  let  any  infringement  of  orders  go  unnoted.  He 
called  Gonzague. 

"What's  the  meaning  of  this  ?"  he  demanded 
fiercely.  "  Did  n't  I  give  orders  to  keep  the  yacht 
hove  to  till  I  came  out  ? " 

"Yes,  sair,"  Gonzague  answered  contritely, 
stroking  his  stiff"  white  mustache  with  nervous 
fingers,  "  bot  I  heer  de  shotin'  ashore,  an'  "  — 

"  That  made  no  difference.  I  'm  ashamed  that 
an  old  seaman  like  you  should  disobey  orders 
simply  because  he  heard  a  row  ashore.  Go  for 
ward.  I  shall  mark  you  in  the  log." 

The  old  man  took  himself  off  without  a  word. 
However  much  he  was  likely  to  feel  the  sting  of 


A  LONE-HAND  GAME  225 

this  reproof,  he  was  not  the  man  to  fail  to  respect 
the  mate  for  it,  and  of  this  Tab  might  be  assured 
when  he  had  the  calmness  to  think  things  over. 

Jerry  gave  the  helmsman  the  course  for  Naples, 
and  the  Merle  swung  off  on  her  return.  Then  he 
started  to  go  below,  but  now  that  the  need  of 
immediate  action  was  over  he  suddenly  turned 
sick  and  dizzy.  He  put  out  his  uninjured  arm 
with  a  quick  clutch  at  Mr.  Wrenmarsh. 

"  Give  me  —  your  arm,"  he  said  weakly.  "  I  'm 
—  I  'm  hit,  you  know,  and  things  go  round." 

"  Hit !  "  echoed  the  collector.  "  Where  ?  Is  it 
serious  ? " 

"  Arm,"  answered  Jerry.  "  Help  me  get  below." 

The  archaeologist  supported  Jerry  to  the  com 
panion,  and  then  almost  carried  him  down  the 
steps.  He  tried  to  place  him  on  the  transom,  but 
Taberman  stubbornly  walked  half  the  length  of 
the  cabin,  and  sank  into  a  chair  by  the  table.  His 
lips  seemed  to  him  queerly  stiff  as  he  twisted  them 
into  a  wry  smile. 

"  Must  n't  bleed  on  the  cushions,  y'  know," 
he  said  feebly.  "  Call  Gonzague." 

Wrenmarsh  shouted  the  name  explosively, 
hovering  solicitously  over  Jerry,  and  in  a  moment 
the  Provencal  appeared.  Jerry  made  a  mighty 
effort  to  pull  himself  together. 


226  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

"  Here,  Gonzague,"  he  said,  "get  the  medicine- 
chest,  and  strip  my  coat  off.  I  Ve  got  to  be  fixed. 
I  want  some  hot  water  and  a  b.  and  s.  Beg  your 
—  pardon,"  he  added,  turning  slowly  to  Mr. 
Wrenmarsh,  and  confusedly  wishing  that  the  cabin 
would  not  turn  so  much  faster  than  he  could.  "I  'm 
forgetting.  This  gentleman's  to  have  Jack's  — 
the  captain's  stateroom.  Will  you  have  anything 
to  drink  ?  'Fraid  I  'm  poor  host,  but  "  — 

"  No,  no,"  cried  the  archaeologist.  "That 's  all 
right.  The  brandy,  Gonzague,  quick  !  " 

A  brandy  and  soda  put  fresh  life  into  Jerry, 
who  still  tried  to  be  polite,  and  protested  that  the 
collector  should  not  bother. 

"  You  '11  find  me  a  first-class  chirurgeon,"  re 
sponded  the  other.  "  Where  's  the  medicine-chest, 
Gonzague  ?  " 

He  proved  remarkably  ready  and  efficient  and 
kindly  withal.  He  stripped  off"  Jerry's  jacket  and 
cut  away  the  shirt-sleeve,  to  discover  a  two-inch 
sliver  of  African  oak  from  the  gunwale  of  the 
cutter  stabbed  into  a  jagged  hole  in  the  forearm. 
He  probed  and  cut  and  trimmed  with  the  skill  of 
a  trained  surgeon,  while  Jerry,  pale  and  with  set 
teeth,  bore  it  all  with  Spartan  firmness  until  every 
thing  was  over,  and  then,  as  he  tried  to  rise  when 
the  last  bandage  was  in  place,  fainted  dead  away. 


A  LONE-HAND  GAME  227 

When  the  plucky  mate  had  been  brought  round 
and  stowed  away  in  his  berth,  Gonzague  again  took 
charge  of  the  Merle,  and  dropped  her  anchor  once 
more  in  the  harbor  of  Naples  at  about  eight 
o'clock  in  the  morning. 

Just  before  Mr.  Wrenmarsh  turned  in  for  the 
night,  he  put  his  head  into  the  door  of  Jerry's 
stateroom  to  ask  if  he  could  do  anything  for  him. 

"  No,  thank  you,"  Jerry  returned.  "  Much 
obliged ;  but  the  man  by  my  door  will  hear  if  I 
want  anything.  I  'm  all  right  now.  I  'm  jolly 
much  obliged  to  you  for  fixing  me  up." 

"  'Pon  my  word,  Table  —  Taberman,  you're 
the  most  extraordinary  man  for  a  Bostonian  I 
ever  saw.  Good-night." 

"  Good  -  night,"  Jerry  responded.  Then  he 
chuckled,  and  added,  "  But  Boston  's  full  of  bet 
ter  men  than  I  am,  if  you  'd  only  stayed  there 
to  see  'em." 


Chapter  Twelve 

AT  VERGIL'S  TOMB 

"  I  NEVER  could  touch  it,"  Katrine  said,  with  an 
emphatic  shake  of  her  head.  "  I  should  think  a 
baby  brought  up  on  goat's  milk  would  run  round 
and  bleat.  Why,  I  think  the  idea  of  it  is  horrid!" 

Her  eyes  sparkled  and  her  whole  air  was  full  of 
a  delicious  animation,  so  that  it  was  no  wonder 
Jack  threw  back  his  head  and  laughed,  as  much 
in  sheer  admiration  as  from  amusement.  He  was 
in  high  spirits  this  morning,  the  excitement  of  a 
mighty  resolve  stirring  in  his  blood. 

"  How  do  you  know  that  you  have  n't  been 
having  goat's  milk  at  the  hotel  ?  "  he  demanded. 
"  Are  n't  you  afraid  you  '11  begin  to  break  out  in 
a  baa  yourself  all  of  a  sudden  ?  " 

"  Why,  how  rude  you  are  !  "  she  cried,  her 
dimples  deepening  and  shoaling.  "  Of  course  they 
would  n't  dare  to  give  it  to  us,  and  we  should 
know  it  if  they  did  !  " 

The  young  people  were  being  driven  in  a  Nea- 


AT  VERGIL'S  TOMB  229 

politan  vettura  to  the  tomb  of  Vergil.  Jack  had 
mentioned  the  spot  that  morning  at  breakfast  as 
being  well  worth  a  visit,  if  only  for  the  view,  and 
said  that  the  ladies  ought  to  see  it.  Mrs.  Fairhew 
had,  for  reasons  perhaps  not  wholly  unconnected 
with  remembrances  of  her  own  youth  and  the  late 
Mr.  Fairhew,  declined  to  make  the  jaunt,  on  the 
score  that  it  was  too  hot  and  that  she  had  a  thou 
sand  trifles  to  attend  to.  She  had  refused  her  niece's 
prompt  offer  of  assistance,  and  so  left  that  young 
woman  free  to  accept  Jack's  invitation  that  she 
take  the  drive  with  him. 

Their  talk  was  light  enough,  the  lighter  because 
Jack  at  least  hardly  dared  to  venture  to  be  serious 
lest  he  betray  how  terribly  in  earnest  he  was.  The 
sight  of  a  little  flock  of  goats,  which  had  scattered 
at  the  pistol-like  crack  of  their  driver's  whip,  had 
given  them  a  theme  for  a  moment.  The  agile 
brown  animals  skipped  along  the  gutters,  assailed 
by  the  effervescent  profanity  of  their  conductor, 
a  half-naked,  slim-limbed  lad  browner  than  the 
beasts  themselves  ;  and  with  more  detonations  of 
the  whiplash  the  carriage  whirled  up  the  hill  with 
hardly  diminished  speed  as  the  grade  grew  steeper. 
Through  picturesque,  squalid  streets,  braver  in 
their  poverty  than  many  a  splendid  thoroughfare, 
through  nooks  that  seemed  to  be  private  court- 


230  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

yards  with  entire  families  disposed  about  them, 
the  carriage  took  its  way  noisily  ;  it  turned  now  to 
the  left,  now  to  the  right,  continually  ascending; 
it  brought  them  to  the  top  of  narrow  ways  down 
which  they  looked  as  through  a  kaleidoscope 
gleaming  with  a  confusion  of  gay  colors  ;  it  seemed 
about  to  land  them  on  the  roof  of  some  building 
which  lay  directly  before  them,  and  then  at  the  last 
moment  whisked  around  some  unseen  corner  and 
carried  them  still  higher. 

"  Is  n't  it  wonderful,"  Katrine  said.  "  I  never 
saw  such  a  city.  I  feel  almost  as  if  we  were  in  a 
flying-machine,  —  we  keep  going  up  so  and  see 
such  wonderful  sights  all  the  time.  Oh,  do  look 
down  that  street !  Did  you  ever  see  such  colors  ?  " 

"  It  is  stunning,"  Castleport  answered,  his  eyes 
on  her  face. 

"You  didn't  look  at  it  at  all,"  she  said  half 
pouting,  as  the  carriage  whirled  them  past. 

"  Oh,  I  could  see  it  all  in  your  eyes,"  he  re 
turned.  "  You  don't  know  what  excellent  mirrors 
they  are." 

"  What  nonsense  !  How  silly  you  are  this  morn- 
ing!" 

Her  color  deepened,  however,  and  Jack  did  not 
feel  that  his  remark  had  missed  fire.  He  smiled 
to  himself,  and  just  then  the  carriage  brought  up 


AT  VERGIL'S  TOMB  231 

with  a  jerk  on  the  left  side  of  the  way,  in  front  of 
a  small  green  door  in  a  gray  retaining-wall.  Over 
the  door  was  printed  in  black  letters :  Tomba  di 
Virgilio. 

"  Here  we  are,"  Jack  said. 

He  got  out  with  the  field-glasses  he  had  brought, 
and  extended  his  hand  to  assist  Katrine.  She 
hardly  touched  his  arm  with  her  finger-tips,  but 
the  air  was  electric,  and  he  felt  the  thrill  like  a 
pulse  of  warm  blood  from  head  to  foot.  He  did 
not  speak  to  the  driver,  but  with  a  manner  that 
made  that  piratical  Neapolitan  regard  him  with  a 
new  respect  simply  ordered  him  in  the  sign-lan 
guage  of  the  town  to  remain  in  waiting.  A  soldier 
came  slouching  out  of  a  shop  near  by  wherein  he 
was  evidently  lounging,  took  the  prescribed  gate- 
fees,  and  then  opened  the  narrow  door.  This  dis 
closed  a  staircase,  strait  and  steep,  cut  from  the 
living  rock,  which  led  upward  and  to  the  right. 

They  climbed  the  stone  stairs  without  speaking, 
but  at  the  top  the  wonderful  beauty  of  the  view 
which  burst  upon  them  called  from  Katrine  an 
involuntary  exclamation  of  surprise  and  delight. 
Below  them,  red-roofed  and  multi-colored,  Naples 
lay  bathed  in  the  strong  white  light  of  the  south 
ern  sun  ;  beyond,  marvelously  blue  and  ruffled  by 
a  gentle  breeze,  the  waters  of  the  bay  flashed  and 


232  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

sparkled ;  and  beyond  again,  farther  yet,  stood 
purple  Capri  and  the  piled-up  southern  shore, 
luminous  and  mistily  azure.  To  the  eastward, 
brooding  and  tragic,  yet  with  a  thrilling  beauty 
of  its  own  in  softly  flowing  curves  and  wavering 
outline,  showed  Vesuvius,  and  stupendous  as  it 
was,  seemed  crouching  sinister  and  awful,  the  in 
carnation  of  pitiless  power. 

Jack  focused  the  glasses,  and  handed  them  to 
Katrine.  Then  he  began  to  point  here  and  there, 
showing  her  the  different  things  of  interest  visi 
ble  from  the  spur  of  the  hill  on  which  they  were 
standing.  As  she  was  looking  toward  the  Mole 
and  the  New  Harbor,  suddenly  she  uttered  a  little 
cry  of  surprise. 

"  There 's  the  Merle,"  she  said.  "  I  'm  sure  it 
is.  At  least  she  's  flying  the  American  flag." 

"  Yes,"  Jack  responded.  "  That 's  she,  fast 
enough." 

"  Does  n't  it  seem  like  a  bit  of  home  to  see  her 
down  there  ?  "  Katrine  went  on.  "  I  think  it  was 
perfectly  wonderful  that  Mr.  Drake  let  you  take 
her  this  summer." 

Jack  gave  a  quick  movement  of  the  shoulders, 
and  then  set  his  lips  together  more  firmly. 

"  I  shall  have  to  tell  her  the  whole  thing,"  he 
thought  to  himself.  Aloud  he  said,  "  I  should  n't 


AT  VERGIL'S  TOMB  233 

have  been  here  when  you  were  if  it  had  n't  been 
for  having  the  Merle." 

"  I  suppose  not,"  she  answered,  and  the  change 
in  her  tone  showed  most  clearly  that  she  under 
stood  in  the  words  more  than  met  the  ear. 

After  they  had  stood  for  a  time  in  admiration 
of  the  magnificent  view  before  them,  they  turned 
to  go  to  the  tomb,  twenty  yards  away.  The  un 
even  path,  bordered  by  beautiful  wild  poppies  and 
violets,  was  shaded  by  gnarled  fig  and  plum  trees. 
A  splendid  stone-pine  rose  superb  on  the  left, 
crowned  by  its  dome-shaped  cluster  of  branches. 

"Oh,"  Katrine  cried,  "it's  perfectly  beautiful, 
is  n't  it?  It  makes  you  feel  solemn,  it 's  so  lovely." 

"  Yes,"  he  assented,  and  unwonted  emotion  left 
him  with  no  word  to  add. 

"Just  look  at  those  flowers,"  she  went  on. 
"  What  a  pity  it  is  that  we  don't  have  them  like 
that  at  home." 

"  It's  a  fitting  place  for  Vergil  to  be  buried  in, 
is  n't  it  ?  "  Jack  said.  "  I  thought  you  would 
like  it." 

"  It  is  a  place  I  shall  remember  all  my  life,"  she 
replied.  Her  eyes  met  his  as  she  spoke,  and  her 
glance  fell  with  quick  consciousness.  Before  he 
could  speak,  she  added  hurriedly,  "  Is  this  the 
tomb?" 


234  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

"Yes,"  he  answered,  entirely  undisturbed  by 
any  chilling  scholastic  doubts  on  the  subject,  "  this 
is  the  tomb." 

Before  them  was  a  lowly  structure  of  old  rubble, 
four  square,  and  a  narrow  door,  at  which  the  path, 
with  a  sudden  dip,  came  to  an  end. 

"  Will  you  go  in  ?  "  he  said,  standing  aside. 

Katrine  entered,  and  he  followed.  The  place 
was  as  simple  within  as  without.  The  floor  seemed 
to  be  of  beaten  earth  ;  the  single  room,  or  cella, 
was  lighted  by  a  small  window,  and  it  contained 
only  two  or  three  cinerary  urns  of  dark  red  clay, 
which  leaned  against  the  wall  opposite  the  door. 
Above  these,  in  brown  letters  on  a  tablet  of  white 
marble,  was  an  inscription  set  there  by  the  Academy 
of  France. 

The  pair  stood  silent  for  a  minute,  Katrine  read 
ing  the  tablet,  and  Jack,  his  head  bared,  standing 
beside  her.  As  she  turned  her  head  she  caught  for 
a  second  time  his  glance.  She  colored,  and  moved 
quickly  to  the  small  window. 

"  Is  n't  the  view  wonderful !  "  she  said,  as  if  she 
had  caught  at  the  first  words  that  came  into  her 
mind. 

"  Yes,"  he  returned  absently.   "  Fine,  is  n't  it  ? " 

She  looked  a  moment  out  of  the  window,  and 
then,  avoiding  his  eyes,  she  turned  back  to  the 


AT  VERGIL'S  TOMB  235 

Latin  distich  cut  in  the  tablet,  and  by  tradition 
assigned  to  Vergil  himself:  - 

Mantua  me  genuit,  Calabri  rapuere,  tenet  nunc 
Parthenope.    Cecini  pascua,  rura,  duces. 

"You'll  think  I  am  unspeakably  stupid,"  she 
said,  "  but  I  confess  I  cannot  make  it  out.  f  Man 
tua  gave  me  birth,'  I  can  read  that." 

" '  The  Calabrian  winds  carried  me  away,' "  Jack 
went  on. 

"  Oh,  yes ;  but  I  don't  understand  the  Parthe 
nope." 

"  That 's  Naples,"  he  answered.  " t  Naples  holds 
me.'  " 

"  Oh,  is  that  it  ?  I  know  the  rest.  '  I  sang  pas 
tures,  fields,  leaders.' ' 

"  Good  !  You  shall  have  an  A  in  the  examina 
tion  in  spite  of  Parthenope,"  he  assured  her.  "  Per 
haps  <  heroes  '  is  a  better  word  for  duces >  though." 

"  I  'm  afraid  I  don't  deserve  an  A,"  she  laughed, 
"  but  I  am  satisfied  if  I  pass  at  all." 

As  they  came  out  of  the  tomb  Jack  picked  a 
spray  from  the  beautiful  laurel  growing  beside  the 
entrance,  and  held  it  out  to  her.  She  took  it  with 
a  murmured  word  of  thanks,  and  put  it  in  her 
gown.  Not  far  away  on  the  right  of  the  path  was 
a  rude  seat  or  bench,  shaded  by  fig  and  olive 


236  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

trees,  and  partially  screened  from  the  path  by 
dwarf  plums.  It  was  slightly  higher  than  the  way 
by  which  they  had  come. 

"  Here,"  Jack  said,  "  let 's  go  up  and  rest  a  bit. 
The  view  is  worth  seeing." 

They  turned  to  the  seat  and  took  their  places 
in  silence.  The  view  was  not  perceptibly  different 
from  that  which  they  had  on  the  path,  but  as  Jack 
looked  at  Katrine  and  Katrine  cast  down  her  eyes, 
this  was  not  a  matter  which  they  were  likely  to 
notice. 

"  Katrine,"  the  captain  began,  —  for  they  had 
come,  almost  by  insensible  degrees,  to  call  each 
other  by  their  Christian  names,  —  "I  've  got  to 
tell  you  something.  It  isn't  altogether  pleasant 
for  me,  but  it 's  only  fair  that  you  should  know." 

She  looked  up  at  him  in  evident  surprise  and 
with  some  disquiet. 

"  Why,  what  is  it  ?  "  she  asked.  "  I  hope  it  is  n't 
anything  really  terrible." 

He  hesitated,  and  began  to  scrape  the  ground 
with  his  foot  nervously. 

"I  —  er —  Well,  to  be  honest,  I  don't  know 
exactly  how  to  tell  you  so  you  won't  be  too  hard 
on  me,"  he  answered  frankly. 

"  Is  it  so  bad  ? "  she  queried  in  a  tone  which 
showed  some  concern  under  its  assumed  lightness. 


AT  VERGIL'S  TOMB  237 

"  What  in  the  world  have  you  been  doing  ?  You 
have  n't  been  murdering  anybody,  I  hope." 

"  What  would  you  say,"  asked  Jack,  "  what 
would  you  think  of  a  man  that  acted  like  this  ? 
Suppose  a  case.  Suppose  the  chap  was,  in  the  first 
place,  in  America.  Suppose  he  had  a  friend,  a 
friend  he  cared  a  lot  about,  one  he  thought  more 
of  than  anybody  else  in  the  world,  and  that  friend 
was  on  this  side.  Suppose  the  man's  property 
was  all  tied  up,  —  in  trust,  you  know,  —  and  he  'd 
promised  not  to  borrow,  so  he  could  n't  honorably 
raise  the  money  to  come  over  unless  his  trustee 
would  let  him.  The  trustee,  we  '11  say,  is  a  nice 
old  fellow,  —  really  nice,  you  know,  only  rather 
crotchety,  —  who  would  n't  hear  a  word  of  the 
chap's  going." 

He  stopped  as  if  for  encouragement,  and 
Katrine,  with  evident  appreciation  of  this,  mur 
mured,  "  Yes,  I  understand." 

"And  suppose,"    Castleport  went   on,  a    new 

hesitancy  coming  into  his  voice, "  that  this  trustee 

—  of  course  the  chap  is  his  nearest  relative,  you 

know  —  has  an  able  schooner  yacht.    Now  if  the 

chap  simply  could  n't  stand  it,  but  captured  that 

yacht  —  not  violently,  of  course,  but  by  stratagem, 

-  and  came   over  to  see  his  friend,  and  to  ask 

her"  — 


238  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

"  Why,  Jack  Castleport  !  "  cried  Katrine,  with 
eyes  open  to  their  widest.  "  You  don't  mean  that 
you  ran  away  with  the  Merle  !  I  never  can  believe 
it!" 

"  It 's  true,  though,"  he  responded.  "  Do  you 
blame  me  so  very  much  ?  " 

Her  glance  dropped  before  his,  and  her  man 
ner  instantly  lost  its  boldness. 

"I  -  Why,  of  course  that  depends,"  she  mur 
mured. 

"  Depends  on  what?  " 

"On  —  how  —  how  necessary  it  was  for  him 
to  see  his  friend." 

"Oh,"  Jack  cried.  "I  had  to  see  her!  You 
know  I  had  to  come,  Katrine  !  I  had  to  tell  you 
I  love  you,  and  I  stole  Uncle  Randolph's  yacht 
because  he  would  n't  let  me  come  any  other  way. 
I  had  to  come." 

He  sprang  up  in  his  excitement,  and  stood  be 
fore  her,  his  hands  twisting  each  other  in  a  way 
odd  enough  for  one  of  so  much  self-control. 

o 

"  You  must  have  known  how  I  cared  for  you, 
Katrine.  I  could  n't  tell  you  without  making  a 
clean  breast  of  this,  but  don't  be  too  hard  on  me. 
I  had  to  come." 

She  flashed  up  at  him  the  merest  hair's-breadth 
of  a  glance,  and  with  her  hands  pressed  to  her  bo- 


AT  VERGIL'S  TOMB  239 

som,  said  softly,  "  I  never  could  have  forgiven  you 
if  you  hadn't  come." 

He  simply  stooped  over  and  took  her  uncere 
moniously  in  his  arms,  and  it  was  several  moments 
before  she  had  breath  and  presence  of  mind  to 
protest. 

"  Heavens  !  "  she  cried  with  mock  terror.  "  Am 
I  in  the  arms  of  a  pirate  ?  Jack,  I  never  knew 
anything  so  shocking  in  my  life !  How  could 
you  do  it?  " 

"  I  had  to  get  across  the  Atlantic  to  you,"  he 
answered,  as  if  that  were  an  excuse  all-sufficient. 

And  the  sun  shone  down  on  the  sea  and  on 
Vesuvius  and  on  Vergil's  tomb,  and  on  that  which 
is  more  enduring  than  all  these,  —  the  sweetness 
of  young  love. 


Chapter  Thirteen 

A    BID    FOR    THE    ODD    TRICK 

WHILE  the  captain  was  looking  with  Katrine 
down  on  the  Merle,  as  the  yacht  lay  quietly  at 
anchor  in  the  harbor,  a  notable  conversation  was 
taking  place  on  board.  At  no  very  early  hour  Tab 
had  risen,  tubbed  with  difficulty,  and,  with  some 
aid,  got  into  his  clothes.  His  left  arm  was  stiff 
and  very  sore,  but  beyond  that  he  felt  no  discom 
fort.  His  magnificent  physique,  improved  by  the 
hardy  life  he  had  been  leading,  saved  him  from  any 
consequences  more  serious ;  so  that  the  archae 
ologist,  who  was  in  capital  spirits,  rallied  him  on 
the  prodigious  appetite  he  displayed  at  breakfast. 

"  I  have  to  eat  double  to  make  up  for  the  blood 
I  lost  last  night,"  Jerry  said,  with  a  grin.  "  I  find 
there  's  nothing  for  the  appetite  like  a  regular  brush 
with  the  police.  I  've  found  it  so  before,  when  I 
was  in  college." 

After  breakfast  the  two  went  on  deck,  and  seated 
under  the  awning,  with  the  beautiful  bay  before 


A  BID   FOR  THE  ODD  TRICK     241 

them  and  a  soft  air  to  bring  a  delicious  coolness, 
they  talked  over  the  adventure  of  the  previous 
night.  Then  from  this  they  branched  off  to  more 
general  matters.  Mr.  Wrenmarsh  was  a  man  of 
wide  experience  and  of  good  observation,  and 
was  well  informed  on  almost  every  topic  the 
talk  touched  upon.  His  tricks  and  eccentricities 
had  been  for  the  time  being  laid  aside,  or  showed 
only  as  a  flavor  of  personality  piquant  and  attrac 
tive.  Jerry  found  himself  soothed  and  entertained, 
although,  remembering  his  previous  experience 
with  the  collector,  he  was  not  without  a  feeling 
that  Wrenmarsh  had  a  propensity  to  use  speech 
as  a  squid  does  his  ink,  to  conceal  his  course,  and 
so  wondered  what  the  collector  had  still  to  gain. 
Wrenmarsh  suddenly  took  to  intricate  and  unin 
telligible  sentences  without  warning  and  equally 
without  apparent  excuse,  when  Jerry  brought  him 
back  to  earth  with  a  question  what  he  intended  to 
do  next. 

"Do?"  exclaimed  Wrenmarsh,  as  if  shocked 
and  astonished  by  such  an  inquiry.  "  Of  course 
I  shan't  think  of  setting  foot  on  shore  again  till 
I  get  to  England." 

Jerry  hardly  suppressed  an  instinctive  whistle, 
and  for  a  brief  instant  he  had  nothing  to  say; 
but  after  all  he  was  not  without  a  shrewdness  of 


242  A   MADCAP  CRUISE 

his  own.  He  was  still  chagrined  to  remember  that 
the  archaeologist  had  played  upon  him  once  for 
his  own  purposes,  and  he  had  at  least  learned  that 
in  dealing  with  this  man  it  was  necessary  to  be 
cautious. 

"To  England  ?  "  he  repeated  in  a  voice  so  cas 
ual  as  to  rouse  Wrenmarsh  and  to  tickle  himself 
inwardly.  "  How  do  you  go  ?  " 

"Go?  "once  more  echoed  the  other.  "With 
you,  of  course." 

"  Oh,  are  we  going  to  England  ?  "  Jerry  asked 
more  carelessly  than  before. 

"  Surely  you  are,"  Wrenmarsh  retorted  with 
some  sharpness. 

"  Are  we  really  ?  "  was  Jerry's  comment.  A 
refrain  from  a  song  in  a  Pudding  play  popped  into 
his  head,  and  he  hummed  it  in  derision  hardly 
disguised,  — 

"  You  surprise  me  !  " 

"  Will  you  —  er  —  say  that  again  ?  "  asked  the 
collector  most  courteously. 

"  Oh,  quite  unnecessary,"  Tab  returned,  not  to 
be  trapped  into  an  apology.  "  It  was  only  a  bit 
of  a  song." 

He  was  filled  with  a  pleasant  feeling  that  he  was 
bothering  the  collector,  astute  as  that  person  was, 
and  he  determined,  as  the  circumstances  certainly 


A  BID  FOR  THE  ODD  TRICK     243 

were  in  his  favor,  to  hold  his  own  with  him  this 
time  at  least. 

"  I  don't  think  you  have  a  very  clear  view  of 
the  case,"  Wrenmarsh  said,  after  a  moment  of 
silent  musing  with  contracted  brow.  "  If  you  had, 
you  'd  see  that  it  is  n't  possible  for  me  to  go  ashore 
now,  after  that  beastly  business  of  last  night. 
I  assure  you,  I  'm  awfully  sorry  for  that  mess. 
There  's  another  thing, —  I  could  n't  get  those 
boxes  ashore  from  the  yacht  without  their  being 

examined,   and  then   there  'd   be   the   devil   of  a 

» 
row. 

"  That  must  have  occurred  to  you  before  you 
left  Passtum,"  Jerry  remarked  with  coolness. 

Mr.  Wrenmarsh  did  not  move  a  muscle. 

"  So  it  did,"  he  said  blandly  ;  "  but  of  course  I 
knew  it  must  have  been  evident  to  you  also." 

Jerry  laughed  in  spite  of  himself  at  the  cool 
impudence  of  this. 

"  I  confess  that  it  was  n't,"  he  responded. 

"  Even  if  it  was  n't,"  the  other  went  on,  as 
smoothly  as  ever,  "  I  never  for  an  instant  sup 
posed  that  when  once  you  'd  started  out  to  help 
me,  you  'd  funk.  That  is  a  contingency,  I  confess, 
never  occurred  to  my  mind.  I  thought  you  were 
made  of  different  stuff.  You  were  clear  game  last 
night." 


244  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

Jerry  looked  at  his  guest  and  burst  into  deep- 
throated  laughter. 

"  Well,  for  clean  cheek  !  "  he  cried.  "  Do  you 
think  I  'm  going  to  tote  you  about  in  a  yacht  I 
don't  own  for  the  rest  of  my  life  ?  " 

"  Would  you  like  to  ?  "  asked  the  collector,  with 
a  fresh  aspect  of  interest.  "  Because  in  the  .^Egean 
Sea  I  Ve  a  "  — 

"  Whatever  it  is,  please  keep  it  to  yourself,  or 
you  '11  insist  that  I  promised  to  help  you  with  it," 
interrupted  Tab  grimly.  "  As  for  going  to  Eng 
land  in  the  present  case,  that 's  quite  out  of  the 
question.  What  are  you  going  to  do  ?  If  you 
stay  on  board,  you  '11  land  in  Boston." 

Mr.  Wrenmarsh's  face  took  on  for  an  instant 
a  look  distinctly  ugly.  It  suddenly  occurred  to 
Taberman  that  the  collector  was  in  rather  an  evil 
plight,  —  worse,  indeed,  than  that  from  which  the 
Merle  had  rescued  him. 

"  Surely  you  're  not  serious  ?  "  Wrenmarsh 
asked  slowly. 

"  I  think  I  am,"  Jerry  responded  pleasantly. 
"  What  are  you  going  to  do  ?  " 

"  Damn  !  "  the  other  broke  out  explosively, 
lying  back  in  his  chair  and  running  his  ringers 
through  his  gray-sprinkled  locks. 

Jerry  was  too  soft-hearted   not  to  be  touched 


A  BID  FOR  THE  ODD  TRICK     245 

by  the  other's  perplexity,  but  an  involuntary- 
movement  of  sympathy  which  he  made  happened 
to  give  him  a  painful  twinge  in  the  arm,  and  he 
hardened  his  heart.  There  was  a  silence  of  some 
minutes,  during  which  he  tried  to  make  out  from 
the  face  of  his  companion  what  thoughts  were 
passing  behind  that  mask.  Suddenly  the  cloud 
lifted  from  the  face  of  Wrenmarsh,  and  he  flashed 
a  bright  glance  on  Jerry. 

"  Bless  me,"  he  cried  gayly.  "  I  might  have 
thought !  Plutus  —  Mammon  —  filthy  lucre  ! 
But  how  extraordinary  in  an  American  —  not  to 
ask  for  it,  you  know  !  What  '11  you  take  for  it  ?  " 

"  For  what  ? "  responded  Tab,  not  catching 
his  drift. 

He  had  a  dreadful  feeling  that  by  becoming 
incomprehensible,  the  other  might  be  getting  the 
better  of  him. 

"  What 's  to  pay  for  a  passage  of  myself  and 
my  boxes  to  —  let  us  say  Plymouth  ?  " 

Indignation  for  the  instant  flared  up  in  Jerry. 

"  This  is  not  a  passenger  ship,"  he  responded 
brusquely. 

"  Oh,  of  course  not,  my  dear  fellow  ;  but  as  every 
man  has  his  price,  I  suppose  a  yacht  has  too." 

Common-sense  and  indignation  worked  together 
now  to  keep  Taberman  from  an  angry  retort.  It 


246  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

flashed  upon  him  that  here  was  a  chance,  one  in 
a  thousand,  to  pay  off  the  hands  of  the  Merle 
without  troubling  the  President ;  it  was  a  chance, 
too,  to  score  off  this  cheeky  archaeologist.  Taber- 
man  had  already  noted  that  Wrenmarsh  was  a 
penurious  soul  who  hated  to  part  with  money, 
and  he  felt  something  of  the  godly  joy  of  the 
departing  Israelites  when  Moses  announced  the 
project  for  the  spoiling  of  the  Egyptians.  England 
was  not  such  an  impossible  distance  off.  They 
might  take  the  Great  Circle  track  home.  Surely 
if  Jack  — 

"  Don't  you  see  my  position,  Mr.  Wrenmarsh  ? " 
he  asked.  "  I  have  n't  the  power  to  dispose  of 
the  Merle.  I  'm  simply  in  charge  of  her  while 
the  captain  's  ashore,  don't  you  see  ?  Still  "  — 

He  paused  dramatically. 

"  Well  ?  "  ejaculated  Wrenmarsh,  apparently 
keeping  his  gaze  fixed  in  the  closest  interest  on 
the  red  sails  of  a  big  felucca  that  was  standing  in 
toward  the  Mole. 

"  Well,  I  think  I  might  be  right  in  making  a 
sort  of  conditional  —  a  purely  conditional  "  — 
he  repeated  the  word  for  caution,  wondering  if 
he  ought  to  make  it  any  stronger — "arrangement. 
It  would  n't  be  valid  without  the  sanction  of  the 
captain.  You  see  that,  of  course." 


A  BID  FOR  THE  ODD  TRICK     247 

"  Well  ?  "  repeated  the  other. 

"  Do  you  see  —  merely  conditional  ?  "  insisted 
Taberman. 

"  Yes,  I  suppose  so,"  assented  the  other  grudg 
ingly. 

"  I  might  make  a  sort  of  conditional  arrange 
ment,  then,  to  go  to  Plymouth,  or  perhaps  to  any 
other  English  port  not  too  much  out  of  the  way, 
for  a  consideration  of"  —  He  paused  again. 

"  Ten  pounds,"  suggested  the  archaeologist. 

"  Two  hundred,"  said  Jerry  coolly. 

He  could  have  hugged  himself  with  joy  at  the 
sound  of  his  own  voice  naming  the  sum  in  such  a 
matter-of-fact  fashion.  He  knew  well  enough  that 
but  for  the  enormous  handicap  which  circum 
stances  had  put  upon  the  archaeologist  he  would 
have  had  no  chance  whatever  to  outmanoeuvre 
him,  but  this  he  did  not  bother  to  reflect  on  at  the 
moment  and  might  have  had  scruples  about  if  he 
had.  He  gave  himself  up  to  the  delight  of  feeling 
that  he  had  distinctly  the  better  of  the  man  who 
had  so  carried  him  off  his  feet  at  Paestum,  and  who 
had  involved  him  in  an  affair  of  the  seriousness  of 
which  Jerry  had  had  good  reason  to  meditate  in 
the  times  in  the  night  when  his  arm  kept  him 
awake.  It  was  certainly  something  to  have  the 
upper  hand  now;  and  two  hundred  pounds,  which 


248  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

he  had  named  almost  at  random,  multiplied  itself 
in  his  head  into  a  most  satisfactory  number  of 
dollars. 

"Two  hundred  pounds  !  "  cried  out  the  archae 
ologist,  nearly  jumping  out  of  his  chair. 

His  affected  surprise  was  dramatic,  but  unfor 
tunately  for  its  effect  it  was  overdone,  so  that  even 
Jerry  felt  it  to  be  theatrical. 

"  Shall  we  call  it  two  hundred  and  fifty  ?  "  the 
mate  asked,  enjoying  himself  more  every  minute. 

"  Two  hundred  and  fifty  devils  !  "  shouted 
Wrenmarsh,  who  appeared  more  irritated,  it  seemed 
to  Jerry,  on  account  of  being  outmanoeuvred  than 
because  the  price  was  so  high. 

"  Not  devils  — pounds,"  Tab  responded,  smil 
ing  at  his  own  wit. 

"  Leave  off  the  two  hundred,"  begged  the  col 
lector. 

"  The  agreement  is  only  conditional  anyway," 
Jerry  said,  with  something  of  an  air,  "  but  if  it 
seems  to  you  fairer,  we'll  leave  off  the  fifty,  and 
call  it  an  even  two  hundred  —  one  for  you  and 
one  for  those  precious  boxes,  to  be  paid  on  arri 
val.  I  'm  not  a  Neapolitan.  Will  you  go  ashore 
here  or  wait  for  the  captain  ?  " 

"  I  '11  wait  for  the  captain,  Mr.  Taberman," 
Wrenmarsh  replied.  He  glowered  across  the  bay 


A  BID  FOR  THE  ODD  TRICK     249 

for  a  moment,  and  then  added,  "He  may  not  be 
so  infernally  exorbitant  as  you  are." 

Jerry  smiled  secretly  to  himself,  and  resolved 
that  at  least  Jack  should  be  persuaded  to  make  no 
easier  terms.  Then  he  went  to  write  a  note  to 
summon  the  captain  to  come  aboard  to  consider 
this  proposition  of  taking  a  passenger. 


Chapter  Fourteen 

CLEARING    THE    DECKS 

WHEN  Jack  appeared  on  the  Merle,  rather  late  that 
afternoon,  Jerry  met  him  by  the  steps,  his  arm  in 
a  sling. 

"  Good  heavens,  Tab,"  cried  the  captain, 
"  what 's  the  matter  ?  What  have  you  done  to 
your  arm,  boy  ?  " 

"  Nothing  much,"  Jerry  answered.  "  Just  got  a 
little  piece  of  the  cutter  in  it  in  a  night  engage 
ment.  What  the  deuce  kept  you  so  long?  " 

"  But  was  it  last  night  ?  "  Jack  insisted.  "  Did 
you  get  into  trouble  ?  " 

"  We  were  under  fire,"  Jerry  laughed  ;  "  but  I 
had  the  only  casualty." 

"  The  devil  you  did  !  What  sort  of  a  trap  did 
your  infernal  Englishman  lead  you  into  ?  " 

"  That 's  just  what  I  want  to  tell  you  before  you 
see  him.  What  in  the  world'  made  you  so  late  ? 
I  've  been  waiting  all  the  afternoon." 

The  captain's  face  grew  radiant. 


CLEARING  THE  DECKS         251 

"  Well,  you  see,"  he  returned,  with  a  little  laugh 
in  his  throat,  "  time  passed  so  quickly,  and  Katrine 
and  I  had  so  much  to  talk  about "  — 

"  Jacko  !  You  Ve  done  it !  "  shouted  Tab,  loud 
enough  to  be  heard  from  one  end  of  the  yacht  to 
the  other. 

The  captain  grinned  warmly,  and  nodded  with 
sparkling  eyes. 

"  Oh,  good  man  !  "  cried  Tab,  wringing  his 
hand.  "  Good  old  Jack  !  Long  life  and  all  hap 
piness  to  you,  you  dear  old  pirate  !  " 

His  words  tumbled  out  helter-skelter,  and  his 
honest  blue  eyes  were  moist  with  pure  joy  at  his 
friend's  happiness.  He  admired  Miss  Marchfield 
from  the  bottom  of  his  heart,  and  Jack  was  the 
dearest  friend  he  could  ever  have.  He  rejoiced  as 
sincerely  and  as  warmly  as  if  the  good  fortune  of 
the  captain  had  been  his  own. 

"  Thank  you,  old  man,"  laughed  Jack,  bub 
bling  over  with  good  spirits  ;  "  but  if  it  had  n't 
been  for  you,  I  —  I  'd  never  have  done  it." 

"Tush!"  flouted  Jerry.  "Don't  talk  bosh! 
It  was  only  a  matter  of  time  anyway.  But  I  'm 
glad  it 's  all  right." 

They  had  been  standing  at  the  head  of  the 
steps,  and  now  the  captain  moved  along  the 
deck. 


252  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

"  What  did  you  send  for  me  to  come  out  in 
such  a  hurry  for  ?  "  he  inquired. 

"  Hurry  !  "  ejaculated  Jerry.  "  Do  you  call  this 
coming  out  in  a  hurry  ?  If  it  had  n't  been  that 
you  left  a  born  diplomat  in  charge,  you  might 
have  lost  two  hundred  pounds  by  being  so  slow." 

"Two  hundred  pounds?"  the  other  echoed. 
"  What  on  earth  are  you  talking  about  ? " 

"  Come  into  the  cabin  before  you  go  aft,"  was 
Jerry's  answer.  "  I  want  to  tell  you  about  that." 

"  And  about  your  arm,  old  man.  What  is  the 
matter  with  you  ?  " 

"  That 's  part  of  it,"  Tab  returned,  as  they 
went  below  together.  "  I  'm  trying  among  other 
things  to  recover  damages." 

When  some  little  time  later  the  two  friends 
came  on  deck  and  went  aft  to  where  the  guest 
was  sitting,  Jack  was  in  full  possession  of  the 
whole  situation. 

"  Jack,  Mr.  Gordon  Wrenmarsh  ;  Mr.  Wren- 
marsh,  Captain  John  Castleport,"  Jerry  said. 

"  Pleased  to  meet  you,  Mr.  Wrenmarsh,"  Jack 
said,  extending  his  hand. 

He  was  evidently  in  the  best  of  humor.  His 
spirits  on  that  day  could  hardly  be  other  than  at 
their  highest,  and  he  had  been  vastly  amused  by 
Jerry's  plan  of  raising  funds  to  pay  off  the  men. 


CLEARING  THE  DECKS         253 

"  Thanks,"  responded  the  archaeologist.  "  I 
was  afraid  the  pleasure  was  largely  mine.  I  Ve 
been  expecting  you  all  day." 

"  Well,"  Jack  said,  seating  himself  comfortably, 
"  I  am  here  at  last.  I  am  sorry  if  I  kept  you 
waiting.  You  might  have  arranged  anything  with 
Mr.  Taberman,  though." 

"  I  tried  to,"  Mr.  Wrenmarsh  responded  dryly, 
"  but  he  seemed  to  me  so  unpractical  in  his  ideas 
that  I  thought  it  better  to  wait  for  you." 

"  I  hope  you  won't  find  me  unsatisfactory  in 
the  same  way,"  Jack  returned.  "  At  least  I  am 
practical  enough  to  know  that  in  this  weather  it 
will  be  more  comfortable  if  we  have  something." 

He  summoned  Gonzague,  and  the  trio  were 
soon  furnished  with  tall  glasses  of  sangaree,  which 
they  sipped  with  relish. 

"  Mr.  Taberman  has  suggested,  —  though  I 
fancy  he  's  half  in  jest,"  began  the  collector,  when 
these  preliminaries  had  been  attended  to,  "  that 
two  hundred  pounds  is  a  fair  price  for  such  a 
trivial  service  as  running  up  to  England  and  land 
ing  me  and  my  boxes." 

"  I  am  glad  you  think  the  matter  trivial,"  ob 
served  Jack,  with  a  smile  ;  "  it  makes  it  so  much 
easier  for  me  to  say  that  1  do  not  find  it  conve 
nient  to  go  to  England  at  all." 


254  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

"  Oh,  I  say  now,"  Wrenmarsh  responded,  with 
a  sudden  keen  glance  at  Jack  as  if  he  were  sur 
prised  at  the  quickness  with  which  his  remark  had 
been  met  and  turned  against  him ;  "  of  course 
you  '11  go  to  England.  That  was  settled  long  ago, 
you  know." 

"Was  it?  I  supposed  that  I,  as  captain  of  the 
Merle,  had  some  voice  in  such  a  matter." 

"  Of  course  nothing  was  settled,"  broke  in 
Jerry.  "  I  made  a  conditional  arrangement — en 
tirely  conditional,  mind  you  — with  Mr.  Wren- 
marsh  that  you  would  take  him  to  England." 

"  Yes  ;  that  is  what  I  said,"  the  collector  as 
serted  imperturbably.  "  Only  the  price  that  you 
named  "  — 

"  Seems  to  me  a  very  reasonable  one,"  interpo 
lated  Jack. 

"  Not  seriously  ?  "  Wrenmarsh  said,  evidently 
determined  not  to  show  that  he  was  at  all  ruffled. 
"  Only  consider,  if  I  go  ashore  here,  I  may  get  — 
I  might  become  a  national  complication.  And  you 
would  n't  want  to  be  mixed  up  in  that  sort  of  a 
thing,"  he  added,  with  a  chuckle.  "  An  interna 
tional  complication,"  he  murmured  to  himself,  as 
if  the  idea  appealed  so  strongly  to  his  vanity  that 
he  was  half  tempted  to  be  put  on  land  at  once  to 
take  up  the  part.  Then  he  recalled  his  wandering 


CLEARING  THE  DECKS          255 

thoughts,  and  looked  Captain  Castleport  in  the 
eye.  "  If  you  land  me  in  any  country  except  Eng 
land,  I  am  quite  done  for,  as  you  Americans  would 
say.  It  stands  to  reason  if  there  is  any  paying  to 
be  done,  you  should  pay  me  for  keeping  you  out 
of  a  scrape  ;  for  of  course  if  I  go  ashore  it  will  be 
known  that  the  Merle  ran  away  from  the  carabi- 
nieri  at  Paestum,  and  " 

"Rubbish!"  interrupted  Jack  brusquely. 
"  Don't  talk  that  kind  of  poppy-cock !  Even  if 
there  were  any  truth  in  it,  it  would  n't  be  decent 
for  you  to  say  so  after  getting  the  Merle  into  the 
scrape." 

"  And  giving  me  your  word  that  the  yacht  was 
in  no  possible  danger,"  put  in  Jerry  indignantly. 

"  Oh,  no  real  danger,  of  course,"  Wrenmarsh 
said  hurriedly,  "  only  it  might  be  unpleasant  for 
you,  and  you  might  not  like  to  be  detained." 

"Why  must  you  go  to  England?"  asked 
Castleport.  "  Why  not  to  Malta  or  Cyprus  or 
Korfu  even?  They  're  protectorates  and  English 
ground." 

"The  sun  never  sets,  you  know,"  responded 
Wrenmarsh,  with  his  extraordinary  ventral  chuckle. 
"The  truth  is  they  won't  do.  Korfu  and  Cyprus 
would  be  as  bad  for  me  as  Naples,  on  account  of 
my  reputation.  I  'm  known  to  have  run  out  a  lot 


256  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

of  things,  you  see.  Gibraltar  or  Malta  would  suit 
me  well  enough  —  if  it  were  n't  for  the  same  reason. 
There  is  n't  a  hotel  on  the  entire  shores  of  the 
Mediterranean  that  I  could  put  up  at  with  those 
boxes  in  safety." 

"  I  hardly  suppose  I  'm  expected  to  take  that 
too  literally,"  Jack  said,  with  a  smile. 

He  reflected  a  moment.  He  could  see  that  the 
collector  certainly  had  good  reason  for  wishing  to 
remain  on  the  yacht,  and  that  it  could  not  but  be 
of  very  great  convenience  to  him  to  be  taken  to 
England.  He  was  no  less  convinced  from  what 
Jerry  had  told  him  that  the  antiquities  which  the 
archaeologist  had  on  board  must  be  worth  thou 
sands  of  pounds,  and  that  their  possessor  could 
afford  to  pay  well  for  their  safety.  He  was  thor 
oughly  stirred  up,  moreover,  by  the  thought  of 
the  episode  of  the  night  before.  That  Jerry  should 
have  been  put  in  actual  peril  of  his  life  by  Wren- 
marsh  for  his  own  purposes  was  to  Jack  so  out 
rageous  that  he  was  half  tempted  to  order  the  col 
lector  and  his  boxes  off  the  Merle  at  once  to 
take  his  chances  with  the  officials  on  the  quays  of 
Naples.  As  Jerry  had  planned  reprisals  along  an 
other  line,  however,  and  as  after  all  Jack  could  not 
have  brought  himself  to  desert  a  man  in  extremity, 
the  captain  determined  to  go  on  as  they  had  begun. 


CLEARING  THE  DECKS          257 

"Two  hundred  pounds  strikes  me  as  fair 
enough,"  he  said. 

"Too  much  —  too  much!  Make  it  fifty,"  re 
sponded  Wrenmarsh. 

"  Two  hundred  ! "  repeated  Jack. 

"  I  'm  sorry ;  I  can't  do  that,"  the  collector  said, 
with  a  great  show  of  decision.  "  You  '11  have  to 
take  me  to  Malta.  What  '11  you  do  that  for  ?  " 

"  Three  hundred,"  Jack  returned  quietly,  al 
though  he  could  not  refrain  from  a  secret  exchange 
of  glances  with  Jerry. 

"What!"  the  other  cried,  in  an  exaggerated 
shriek.  "  A  run  like  that  ?  Three  hundred 
pounds!  It's  not  a  twentieth  the  distance  to 
England." 

"  That 's  so,"  was  the  captain's  answer,  "  but 
you  see  we  should  have  a  good  deal  less  value  in 
your  company.  Besides,  you  'd  get  your  boxes  ex 
territorio  a  great  deal  quicker." 

He  had  by  this  time  become  so  interested  in 
the  game  he  was  playing  that  the  beating  of  the 
collector  seemed  in  itself  a  thing  worth  straining 
every  nerve  to  gain. 

"  They  're  ex  territorio  now,"  Mr.  Wrenmarsh 
said,  "  as  they  're  on  a  foreign  yacht.  But  no 
matter  about  that.  What  '11  you  take  to  set  me 
over  to  Gibraltar  ?  " 


258  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

"  Oh,  that  would  cost  you  three  hundred  and 
fifty,  because  there  you  're  so  much  nearer  Eng 
land  than  you  'd  be  at  Malta." 

He  glanced  again  at  Jerry,  with  an  inward 
chuckle  at  the  utter  balderdash  he  was  talking  and 
a  consciousness  how  closely  it  resembled  the  na 
ture  of  the  arguments  with  which  Wrenmarsh  had 
beguiled  Tab.  For  a  minute  there  was  silence,  and 
then  the  archaeologist  spoke  angrily. 

"  You  're  too  commercial,"  he  said,  with  an  un 
concealed  sneer.  "  I  see  no  way  in  which  we  can 
come  to  an  agreement.  I  never  was  equal  to  trad 
ing  with  a  dollar-getting  Yankee." 

Tab  started  and  looked  to  hear  Jack  break  out  at 
an  insult  so  gross,  but  the  captain  merely  smiled. 

"  As  you  are  our  guest,"  he  said,  "  there  's  no 
chance  for  me  to  answer  you  properly,  but  you 
must  remember  we  're  not  looking  for  a  job.  Shall 
I  send  you  ashore  now,  or  would  it  suit  you  to 
take  a  boat  with  me  in  half  an  hour?  Or  per 
haps,"  he  added,  his  manner  most  elaborately 
courteous,  "  on  account  of  your  boxes,  it  would 
suit  you  better  to  be  set  ashore  after  dark." 

"  Give  you  one  hundred  pounds,"  the  collector 
said,  still  fighting,  and  ignoring  the  captain's  words 
entirely. 

"  We  need  not  go  on  with  the  wrangle,"  Jack 


CLEARING  THE  DECKS         259 

said,  rising.  "  I  'm  not  bargaining  with  you.  If  it  *s 
worth  two  hundred  pounds  to  you,  all  right.  If 
it  is  n't,  we  '11  part  here,  and  hope  you  have  the 
gratitude  to  appreciate  what  has  already  been  done 
for  you  at  the  risk  of  Mr.  Taberman's  life.  Come, 
we  Ve  wasted  too  much  time  over  this  already." 

"  Do  you  think  my  time  is  n't  worth  any 
thing?"  cried  the  other,  —  apparently  losing  all 
control  of  his  temper.  "  I  Ve  wasted  too  much 
already.  Get  up  your  damned  anchor,  you  mer 
cenary  Yankee  "  — 

"  Come,  sir  !  "  broke  in  Jack  sharply,  "  apolo 
gize  at  once  !  At  once  !  You  have  been  insulting 
us  this  half  hour  like  an  utter  cad,  and  I  Ve  made 
all  the  allowances  I  'm  equal  to." 

The  collector  regarded  him  with  furious  eyes, 
but  seemed  struggling  with  himself  until  he  could 
command  his  manner  and  his  voice. 

"I  —  I  beg  your  pardon,"  he  said  in  a  hard 
tone.  Then  he  added,  in  a  voice  softer  and  more 
grave,  "  Indeed,  I  beg  your  pardon  most  sin 
cerely.  My  cursed  temper  got  the  better  of  me. 
Does  your  offer  still  hold  ?  " 

"  If  you  wish,"  Jack  answered  stiffly. 

"  Then  —  two  hundred  pounds —  I  accept  it. 
Two  hundred  pounds  sterling,  to  be  paid  on  our 
safe  arrival  in  port  at  Plymouth."  He  sighed,  and 


160  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

put  out  his  hand  to  the  captain.  "  Will  you  par 
don  my  tongue  ?  "  he  asked. 

There  was  more  ingenuousness  in  this  trifling 
act  than  in  anything  Tab  or  Jack  had  yet  seen  in 
him.  The  real  man  seemed  for  a  moment  to  show ; 
and  as  Jack  accepted  the  collector's  apology  and 
took  his  hand,  Jerry  had  a  fleeting  glimpse  — 
short  as  a  flash  of  changing  light  —  of  another 
and  franker  Wrenmarsh,  accustomed  to  hide  under 
a  veil  of  shams  and  mockeries  made  necessary  by 
his  difficult  vocation. 

Wrenmarsh  then  asked  if  he  might  have  some 
letters  mailed  ashore,  and  Jack  offered  to  take 
them  himself  in  half  an  hour's  time.  While  the 
collector  was  below  writing  these,  the  captain  and 
the  mate  talked  things  over  on  deck.  Tab  had  to 
congratulate  Jack  again,  and  over  and  over,  fairly 
beaming  with  delight  whenever  he  thought  of  the 
happy  stage  to  which  affairs  had  been  brought. 
When  he  discovered  that  the  captain  had  con 
fessed  the  lifting  of  the  Merle,  he  was  for  a  mo 
ment  disconcerted. 

"  Oh,  Jacko,  how  could  you  give  that  away  ?  " 
he  cried. 

"  I  had  to  be  honest,"  Jack  replied,  and  added, 
with  a  little  shade  of  unconscious  patronage, 
"  You  '11  see  how  it  is  yourself,  old  man,  when  it 


CLEARING  THE  DECKS          261 

comes  your  turn.  You  have  to  make  a  square 
deal,  of  course." 

"  Yes,  I  s'pose  so,"  assented  the  mate  humbly. 
"  I  hope  she  won't  tell  Mrs.  Fairhew." 

"  Oh,  we  told  her  together,"  Jack  stated  cheer 
fully.  "  Katrine  thought  we  'd  better.  I  'm  glad 
I  did,  too  ;  for  she  's  written  home  about  meeting 
us,  and  it 's  sure  to  get  round  to  Uncle  Randolph 
sooner  or  later." 

"  How  did  she  take  it?  " 

"Oh,  do  you  know,"  returned  Jack,  laughing 
at  the  remembrance  of  his  talk  with  Mrs.  Fairhew, 
"  I  think  she  was  more  bothered  that  she  had  n't 
guessed  it  than  she  was  shocked  at  us.  She 

D 

could  n't  help  letting  me  see  that  she  thought  it 
an  awfully  good  joke  on  Uncle  Randolph.  She 
said  she  should  write  to  him  to-day  and  remind 
him  that  she  'd  often  told  him  he  tried  to  keep 
me  in  leading  strings.  She  said  she  did  have  a 
suspicion  from  your  jocoseness  when  we  first  came 
over  that  there  was  some  joke  about  our  coming, 
but  we  parried  her  questions  so  well  she  forgot 
all  about  it.  She  said  nobody  could  have  dreamed 
of  anything  so  preposterous,  so  of  course  she 
did  n't  guess  it." 

"  Did  n't  she  say  it  was  on  account  of  her  age  she 
did  n't  see  through  us  ?  "  queried  Jerry,  with  a  grin. 


262  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

"  By  Jove,  she  did;  and  then  turned  it  off  by 
saying  she  never  supposed  a  Marchfield  would  be 
engaged  to  a  pirate.  She  says,  though,  that  I  Ve 
got  to  cut  back  at  once.  She  won't  have  me  going 
about  with  Katrine  in  a  stolen  yacht." 

"It's  time  to  start  anyway.  It'll  be  getting 
late  by  the  time  we  're  across,  and  if  she  's  written 
home,  the  sooner  the  Merle  is  in  Boston  harbor 
the  better.  I  suppose  we  can  get  off  in  a  week  ? " 

"  We  go  to-morrow,"  Jack  answered  calmly. 

"  To-morrow  !  Great  Scott !  What  are  we  sit 
ting  here  for  ?  There  are  oceans  of  things  to  be 
done." 

"  Of  course  we  can  get  stores  at  Plymouth  if 
we  need  to,  and  I  Ve  already  ordered  a  lot  of 
things  to  come  out  to-night.  We  have  to  get 
Wrenmarsh  safe,  of  course,  and  that  '11  take  some 
time." 

"  He's  a  windfall,"  commented  Jerry. 

"  And  like  most  windfalls,  not  entirely  sound  ? 
Tell  Gonzague  to  fix  up  the  stateroom  Bardale 
had,  the  one  next  mine.  I  must  get  ashore  now ; 
she  '11  be  waiting.  You  're  to  come  to  dinner." 

"  I  '11  come  fast  enough.  Oh,  you  bully  old 
pirate,  I  'm  awfully  glad  for  you  !  " 


• 

Chapter  Fifteen 

IN    THE     CATTEWATER 

THE  Merle  was  at  anchor  off  Plymouth. 

By  the  round  brass  ship's  clock  placed  over  the 
passageway  door,  in  the  saloon,  Jerry  could  see 
that  it  was  a  little  after  ten  o'clock.  The  yacht 
had  come  to  anchor  in  the  small  hours,  and  the 
gentlemen  had  in  consequence  slept  late.  The 
dull  light  of  an  English  morning  in  September 
came  through  the  big  skylight,  and  showed  the 
captain,  the  mate,  and  Mr.  Wrenmarsh  lingering 
over  their  breakfast. 

"  On  my  word,  Mr.  Wrenmarsh,"  said  Tab, 
"  we  '11  be  sorry  to  lose  you.  You  've  been  aboard 
so  long  and  your"  —he  almost  blurted  out 
"  eccentricities,"  but  fortunately  had  the  unusual 
luck  to  stop  in  time  to  substitute  a  better  word 
—  "your — er  —  conversation  has  such  —  er  — 
has  been  so  very  entertaining,  that  is,  that  we  're 
sure  to  miss  you." 

"  Ah,  well,"  said  the  collector,  "  I  'm  in  hopes 


264  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

that  you  Ve  improved  so  much  by  contact  with 
me  that  you  '11  be  able  to  entertain  each  other." 

"  Would  n't  you  like  to  take  passage  across  ?  " 
suggested  Jack. 

"Your  rates  are  too  high,"  the  other  rejoined 
grimly.  "  Gonzague,  V  altro  bicchier'  d  aqua 
fresca." 

The  old  steward,  who  had  come  in  while  Jerry 
was  speaking,  served  the  archaeologist  with  the 
ready  alacrity  which  marked  all  he  did,  and  then 
departed  with  a  handful  of  dishes. 

"  Why  do  you  always  speak  to  Gonzague  in 
Italian  ? "  inquired  Jerry.  "  You  said  yesterday  that 
you  always  had  a  reason  for  everything  you  do." 

"  Oh,"  the  guest  returned,  fixing  his  eyes  not 
on  the  questioner  but  on  the  ceiling  above  him, 
"  I  speak  to  him  in  Italian  because  he  under 
stands  it." 

"  But  he  is  n't  an  Italian,"  Tab  objected. 

"  No,  but  then  I  'm  not  either." 

"  But  he  understands  English,  French,  and 
Spanish,  for  the  matter  of  that,"  Jerry  persisted. 

Whenever  Wrenmarsh  began  to  talk  in  this 
whimsical  fashion,  Taberman  had  always  a  teas 
ing  desir»  to  push  him  into  a  corner. 

"Ah,  but,  my  dear  fellow,"  Wrenmarsh  replied, 
unaccountably  addressing  Jack,  and  making  his 


IN  THE  CATTEWATER         265 

words  seem  more  distraught  by  one  of  his  most 
earnest,  almost  burning  glances,  "  I  do  not  speak 
Spanish,  you  see." 

"  Then  why  not  French  or  English  ?  " 

"  Because  they  're  so  different,"  returned  the 
collector. 

"  Why,  what  rot !  "  Jerry  burst  out  rudely ; 
then  as  usual  he  added  apologetically,  "  I  beg 
your  pardon,  but  I  'm  afraid  I  don't  follow  you." 

"  Oh,  no ;  I  suppose  not,"  Mr.  Wrenmarsh 
rejoined  with  much  sweetness.  He  rose,  and  with 
an  entire  change  of  manner,  added  briskly,  "  Well, 
I  'm  ready.  As  I  wish  to  catch  the  eleven  thirty- 
four  for  London,  we  must  make  haste ;  otherwise 
I  should  n't  have  time  to  take  Mr.  Castleport  to 
the  bank,  and  settle  my  financial  obligations.  Can 
we  get  ashore  ? " 

"  Yes,"  answered  Jack,  rising  also.    "  The  cut 
ter  's  ready,  and  your  boxes  are  on  board.    By  the 
by,  you  said  you  'd  tell  me   how   you   dodge  - 
pardon  the  word,  we  use  it  on  the  other  side  — 
the  customs." 

"  Simplest  thing  in  the  world,"  returned  Wren- 
marsh,  lighting  a  cigarette.  "  Address  my  boxes 
to  a  good  friend  of  mine  in  the  British  Museum. 
They  go  through  the  customhouse  as  things  for 
the  museum,  you  know." 


266  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

"  Does  your  friend  do  that  sort  of  thing  as  a 
business  ?  "  inquired  Jerry  with  a  laugh.  "  I  wish 
you  'd  give  me  his  name,  so  I  could  come  that 
game." 

"  His  name  is  Gordon  Wrenmarsh,"  said  the 
collector  quietly ;  "  but  his  charges  are  high. 
Shall  we  go  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  Jack  responded.  "  It  is  high  time  we 
were  off.  I  'm  not  anxious  to  speed  the  parting 
guest,  but  a  good  send-off  means  an  early  start." 

Jerry  left  his  place,  and  the  three  went  on  deck. 
The  cutter,  already  manned,  was  by  the  steps. 
The  bleak  English  air  struck  chill  and  raw  to  these 
men  fresh  from  the  warm  sunshine  of  the  Medi 
terranean.  The  harbor  and  sound,  crowded  with 
shipping  as  they  were,  seemed  flat  and  dull ; 
the  Citadel,  the  Battery,  the  various  docks  and 
buildings  were  depressing.  A  great  volume  of  dun 
coal-smoke  overhanging  the  "  Three  Towns," 
from  the  Hamoaze  to  Sutton  Pool,  added  to  the 
general  air  of  gloom.  To  cap  all  this,  the  fog  was 
coming  in  from  seaward,  and  already  its  ghostly 
echelons  had  floated  past  the  north  end  of  Drake 
Island.  As  the  three  men  came  on  deck  the  cut 
ter  was  bobbing  up  and  down  in  the  wash  of  the 
ferry  which  plies  to  and  fro  across  the  Cattewater, 
and  which  had  just  gone  heavily  past. 


IN  THE  CATTEWATER          267 

"  Dear  England  !  "  ejaculated  Mr.  Wrenmarsh 
fervently  under  his  breath  in  the  face  of  all  this. 
Then  turning  to  Taberman,  "  You  're  not  coming 
ashore  with  us  ?  " 

Jerry  shook  his  bare  head,  and  gave  an  exag 
gerated  shiver  for  reply. 

"  No  ?  "  the  collector  said.  "  Well,  we  '11  say 
good-by  here,  then.  Lucky  we  met,  was  n't  it  ? 
Those  combinations  —  they  make  the  world  go 
round  ;  stop  it  sometimes.  Good-by.  Pity,  great 
pity,  you  were  n't  at  Oxford,  Mr.  Taberman.  It 
would  have  done  you  good,  made  a  man  of  you." 

"  Not  if  Harvard  's  failed  to,"  retorted  Jerry 
loyally.  "  Good-by,  and  good  luck.  Hope  we  '11 
meet  again  some  day." 

They  shook  hands,  and  Mr.  Wrenmarsh  and 
Jack  descended  to  the  waiting  cutter. 

"Adio,  Signor',"  called  out  old  Gonzague,  who 
was  standing  by  the  main-rigging. 

"A  riverderla  forse"  returned  the  collector 
from  the  stern-sheets  of  the  cutter. 

"//  mondo  e  piccolo,  Signor'.  Spero"  answered 
the  Provencal. 

"  Oars  !  "  cried  Jack.  "  Bear  away,  —  let  fall, 
—  ready,  —  pull."  And  the  cutter  bore  away  the 
strange  collector  toward  the  shore  of  his  adopted 
country. 


268  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

Jerry  watched  the  boat  for  a  moment,  his  big 
heart  not  untouched  by  a  sympathetic  friendliness 
for  the  lonely  man,  whose  life  seemed  to  him  so 
warped  and  melancholy.  He  half  expected  Wren- 
marsh  to  look  back  to  nod  or  to  wave  his  hand, 
but  the  collector's  eyes  were  turned  steadily  to  the 
shore.  It  was  chill  on  deck,  and  Tab  went  be 
low. 

Gonzague  was  just  taking  away  the  last  of  the 
breakfast  things.  He  set  his  tray  on  the  table, 
and  approached  the  mate  deferentially. 

"  Mistaire  Taberman,  sair,"  he  said,  putting  his 
hand  in  his  pocket,  and  drawing  out  a  small  square 
blue  box  and  a  note,  "  Mistaire  Wrainmairsh  he 
geeve  me  de  box  and  de  lettair  —  also  a  crown  in 
extrair  dat  I  geeve  dem  to  you  when  he  have  leef." 

"  Eh  ?  what  ?  "  asked  Jerry.  "  Oh,  I  see.  Thank 
you." 

He  sat  down  on  the  port  transom,  and  opened 
the  box.  It  contained  a  small  object  carefully 
wrapped  in  tissue  paper.  He  unfolded  the  paper, 
and  between  his  fingers  a  gold  finger-ring  slipped 
on  to  the  green  corduroy  cushion  of  the  tran 
som. 

"  Great  Scott !  "  he  ejaculated.  Then  he  picked 
it  up  and  examined  it  carefully. 

In  a  thin  band  of  red  gold  was  set  a  carnelian 


IN  THE  CATTEWATER          269 

of  beautiful  tone,  the  color  of  a  red  hyacinth  blos 
som.  The  stone  was  oval,  cut  with  an  exquisite 
design  in  intaglio.  It  represented  a  god  holding 
a  trident  in  his  left  hand,  and  on  his  right  a  small 
winged  figure.  His  right  foot  rested  on  a  stone, 
and  he  was  gazing  at  the  figure  he  held.  The  gem 
was  inscribed  with  the  Greek  letters  AIA. 

Jerry  tore  open  the  note.  It  read  as  follows  :  — 

Really,  my  dear  fellow,  had  you  viewed  me 
more  as  a  friend  and  less  as  a  curiosity,  you  might 
have  found  it  to  your  advantage.  But  to  the 
point.  I  hope  you  will  wear  the  ring  in  mem 
ory  of  our  little  escapade.  The  figure  represents 
Poseidon,  holding  a  victoriole  in  his  hand ;  and 
is,  as  the  letters  signify,  designed  to  commemorate 
the  naval  victory  of  Lilybaeum  (Capo  Boao),  in 
which  some  of  the  original  wearer's  ancestors 
(more  likely  pretended  than  real)  were  evidently 
supposed  to  have  taken  part.  Of  course  the  wearer, 
though  not  the  cutter,  was  a  Roman  ;  but  you 
won't  mind  that.  Not  a  bit.  So  no  one  gets  hurt 
-your  arm,  you  know  —  in  my  behalf  without 
cause  to  remember  the  fact  —  pleasantly.  The 
stone  is  by  no  means  the  best  that  I  obtained,  but 
it  seemed  appropriate.  Poseidon  with  a  victoriole 
—  usually  an  attribute  of  Zeus  Soter  (see  your 


270  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

Furtwangler's  A.  G.)  —  is  rare  enough  to  give  the 
thing  value. 

With,  merriment, 

WRENMARSH. 

"  By  Jove  !  "  cried  Jerry  to  himself,  gloating 
over  the  ring,  "what  a  calf  I  was  to  that  —  that 
white  man  !  By  Gad,  though,  he  was  a  stunner, 
and  no  mistake  !  " 

He  slipped  the  gold  band  on  his  finger.  After 
a  time  of  admiration  he  took  a  book  from  the 
shelf,  and  tried  to  read  ;  but  every  minute  or  two 
he  stopped  to  look  again  at  the  jewel. 

He  had  not  turned  many  pages  when  he  heard 
a  boat  alongside,  and  a  strange  voice  hailing. 

"  Hallo,"  he  thought.  "  1  wonder  what  that  is. 
It  can't  be  the  port  officer ;  we  satisfied  him  at 
daybreak." 

He  tossed  aside  his  book,  and  went  on  deck.  A 
shabby  jolly-boat  was  lying  alongside.  Jerry  noted 
instantly  and  with  consternation  that  she  was 
manned  by  six  men  in  uniform,  in  charge  of  a 
burly  old  fellow  liberally  adorned  with  brass  but 
tons  and  gold  braid,  who  looked  to  be  every  inch  a 
sea-dog.  At  a  second  glance  Tab  decided  that  these 
men  were  not  government  employees,  such  as 
coast-guards,  but  belonged  to  some  sort  of  a  com- 


IN  THE  CATTEWATER          271 

pany.  With  one  stunning  blow,  sudden  as  the 
bursting  of  a  waterspout,  the  truth  flashed  over 
him  ;  at  the  last,  at  the  very  last,  when  they  had 
escaped  so  long  that  they  had  practically  ceased 
to  think  of  the  danger,  the  agent  of  Lloyd's  was 
upon  them. 

"  Hello  there,  what  d  *ye  want  ?  "  called  out  the 
man  doing  anchor-watch. 

"  Captain  aboard  ?  "  demanded  the  burly  officer 
in  charge. 

"  No,"  answered  the  hand  suspiciously.  "  What 
will  you  have  ?  " 

"  I  want  to  see  the  officer  in  charge,  my  spruce 
little  sea-cook,"  returned  the  big  man  genially; 
and  the  grating  of  the  steps  being  handy,  without 
further  ceremony  he  came  aboard. 

The  sailor  keeping  the  deck,  although  of  a  slow 
and  plodding  disposition,  might  have  resented  the 
coolness  of  the  stranger,  had  Jerry  given  him  time ; 
but  with  a  commendable  promptness  and  a  sinking 
heart  the  mate  advanced.  He  told  Jack  afterward 
that  he  felt  as  if  he  were  leading  a  forlorn  hope, 
and  had  not  the  remotest  idea  of  what  he  had 
better  do  or  say. 

"  I  am  in  charge  here,"  he  said  in  a  perfectly 
neutral  voice.  "  What  do  you  want  ?  " 

"  You  are  Captain  Castleport  ? "  inquired  the 


272  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

big  man,  giving  Jerry  a  keen  glance  not  without 
a  suspicion  of  kindly  humor. 

He  was  a  fine,  strapping  creature  of  perhaps 
forty-five  or  fifty,  with  fair  hair,  and  a  large  bushy 
beard  tawny  as  a  lion's  mane. 

"  Captain  Castleport  is  ashore,  sir.  I  am  the 
mate." 

"  Mr.  Taberman,  eh  ?  "  asked  the  other.  "  May 
I  see  you  in  private  for  a  minute  or  two,  sir?  I  'm 
Lloyd's  deputy  inspector  for  Plymouth.  I  've 
been  hunting  about  in  the  fog  for  you  these  thirty 
minutes  past.  I  thought  you  were  nigh  out  o'  the 
Cattewater,  over  toward  the  Hoe." 

"  Will  you  come  below  ?  "  said  Jerry  grimly. 

Inwardly  he  groaned  for  the  arrival  of  Jack. 
This  was  a  task  he  felt  himself  unable  to  deal  with. 
Had  the  emergency  called  simply  for  physical 
powers  or  for  manual  dexterity,  the  chances  were 
large  that  he  could  rise  to  the  occasion ;  but  in  a 
pass  where  the  demand  was  for  mental  adroitness 
and  nimble  wits,  Jerry  knew  the  captain  to  be  infi 
nitely  his  superior.  He  determined  to  devote  him 
self  to  gaining  time,  and  to  refrain  from  committing 
himself  until  his  comrade  should  come  aboard. 

Jerry  escorted  the  burly  guest  to  the  cabin  with 
out  further  speech,  and  turned  to  ask  him  to  be 
seated.  The  visitor  at  once  drew  over  his  jovial 


IN  THE  CATTEWATER          273 

face  like  a  veil  a  serious  expression,  and  regarded 
Taberman  with  the  greatest  gravity.  Unbuttoning 
the  top  of  his  serge  jacket,  he  thrust  his  hand  into 
an  inner  pocket  as  if  it  were  a  dip-net,  and  brought 
it  up  again  full  of  dismally  official-looking  docu 
ments. 

"  This  is  bad  business,  sir,"  he  remarked,  eyeing 
the  mate  as  if  to  be  sure  he  was  producing  a  proper 
impression. 

"  Eh  ? "  ejaculated  Jerry,  trying  to  look  like 
consolidated  innocence. 

"  P'haps  you  '11  be  so  good  's  to  look  these 
through,  sir,"  the  Englishman  went  on,  proffer 
ing  his  batch  of  papers. 

"  Are  they  for  me  or  the  captain  ?  "  asked  Tab 
erman,  fencing  to  gain  time. 

"  Why,  as  to  that,"  the  official  replied,  "  I  ex 
pect  what  they  contain  's  ekally  to  your  int'rest 
and  'is." 

"  Sit  down,  please,"  Jerry  said,  with  a  confused 
wave  of  the  hand,  which  seemed  to  invite  the 
visitor  to  occupy  all  the  seats  in  the  cabin  at 
once.  "  You  may  be  right,  but  I  should  n't  want 
to  look  any  important  papers  over  until  the  cap 
tain  'd  seen  them." 

"  Oh,  that  don't  matter,"  the  other  said  easily, 
as  he  settled  himself  in  a  chair.  "  I  don't  think 


274  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

you  'ave  any  cause  to  mind,  sir.  You  represent 
'im  aboard." 

"  Yes,"  Jerry  returned,  obstinately  determined 
that  nothing  should  make  him  go  through  the 
papers  without  Jack  ;  "  but  if  you  're  not  too  much 
pressed  for  time,  I  'd  much  rather  wait  for  the 
captain.  He  '11  be  here  presently." 

"  Why,  sir,  for  the  matter  o'  that,  I  dunno  's 
I  Ve  much  to  'urry  me  this  mornin' ;  an'  I  must 
say  I  'd  rather  like  a  look  at  'im.  'E  must  be  a 
rare  one." 

"  Then,"  Jerry  said,  with  infinite  relief,  "  we  '11 
wait  till  he  gets  aboard." 

He  rang,  and  Gonzague  appeared.  The  old 
Provencal  stood  stroking  his  mustache  and  watch 
ing  the  Englishman  furtively  out  of  the  cor 
ners  of  his  eyes,  as  if  he  appreciated  the  situation 
and  hoped  to  have  orders  to  assist  in  throwing 
him  overboard.  The  glance  of  the  bluff  Briton  at 
the  same  time  lighted  up  in  evident  anticipation 
that  the  appearance  of  the  steward  meant  refresh 
ments. 

"  Gonzague,  I  '11  have  a  little  Scotch  and  soda. 
Will  you  take  a  glass  of  anything,  sir?" 

"  Why,  sir,  seem'  's  I  'ave  to  wait  a  bit,  I  'm  not 
strong  agin  a  finger  or  two." 

"  What  will   you   have  ? "   asked  Jerry,  enor- 


IN  THE  CATTEWATER          275 

mously  relieved  to  get  on  ground  so  safe  as  that 
of  playing  the  host. 

"  I  like  red  rum  's  well  's  most,  sir,"  replied 
the  other,  his  jolly  eyes  twinkling.  "It's  sort  o' 
oilin'  to  the  in'ards." 

They  were  soon  served,  and  Gonzague,  on 
leaving  the  cabin,  placed  the  spirits  and  a  siphon 
in  most  engaging  proximity  to  the  guest.  Time 
passed  in  the  exchange  of  more  or  less  nautical 
chit-chat  for  half  an  hour  or  so  ;  when,  to  the 
great  comfort  of  Jerry,  who  had  been  listening 
with  one  ear  to  the  talk  of  his  companion  and  with 
the  other  for  the  coming  of  the  captain,  Jack's  hail 
sounded  outside.  Jerry,  listening  acutely,  heard 
Castleport  pause  on  deck,  and  at  the  companion- 
way  caught  a  syllable  or  two  in  the  unmistakable 
tones  of  Gonzague,  so  that  he  apprehended  that  the 
captain  would  come  to  the  interview  forewarned. 

The  captain  came  briskly  into  the  cabin,  his 
blue  pea-jacket  beaded  with  little  globules  of  mois 
ture  from  the  fog,  his  hair  damp  and  clinging  to 
his  temples. 

"Hallo,  Tab,"  he  said.  "The  fog's  as  thick 
as  it  was  the  night  we  started.  Ah  !  " 

The  exclamation  cleverly  conveyed  the  impres 
sion  that  he  perceived  the  guest  for  the  first  time, 
and  apologized  for  not  being  prepared  to  meet  him. 


276  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

"Jack,  this  is  Lloyd's  deputy  inspector,  Mr. 
-?"  Jerry  began,  and  stopped  with  an  inter 
rogative  inflection. 

"  My  name,  sir,  's  Tom  Mainbrace." 

"  Mr.  Thomas  Mainbrace,"  Jerry  concluded 
his  presentation.  "  Mr.  Mainbrace,  Captain  Cas- 
tleport." 

"  Pleased  to  know  ye,  cap'n,"  the  Englishman 
said  cheerfully,  as  Jack  bowed.  "  Yes,  sir  ;  I  'm 
Lloyd's  deputy  inspector." 

"  I  saw  your  boat  alongside,"  Jack  returned 
pleasantly.  "  We  have  n't  any  deputies  aboard 
that  need  inspecting,  though." 

"  'Ave  n't  ye  ?  "  the  visitor  asked,  his  eyes 
twinkling  so  that  the  laugh  with  which  he  followed 
his  words  seemed  a  sort  of  overflow  of  their  mer 
riment.  "I  kind  o'  thought  there  might  be  a  dep 
uty  owner  or  som'thin'  o'  the  sort  'ere." 

Jack  apparently  tried  to  look  grave,  but  ended 
by  grinning  in  spite  of  himself.  He  put  out  his 
hand  and  laid  his  fingers  on  the  papers. 

"  You  have  business  with  us  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Yes,  sir.  The  mate  'ere,  'e  said  'e  'd  rather 
not  begin  on  it  till  you  come  aboard,  sir." 

"  Quite  right,"  Jack  responded  quietly.  "  Shall 
I  read  these  papers  ?  " 

"  Yes,  if  ye  '11   be  so  good,  sir,"  Mr.  Main- 


IN  THE  CATTEWATER          277 

brace  said  seriously,  and  not  without  a  trace  of 
regret  in  his  jovial,  weather-beaten  face. 

The  captain  seated  himself  with  deliberation, 
and  began  to  read ;  the  Englishman  applied  him 
self  afresh  to  his  glass,  and  Taberman  watched 
closely  for  a  lead.  Jerry  was  not  clear  what  line 
was  to  be  taken  in  this  difficult  situation,  and  was 
keenly  anxious  to  back  up  the  captain  in  any  way 
possible.  To  his  surprise  Jack  began  first  to  smile, 
then  to  grin;  from  that  to  chuckle  gleefully,  and 
at  last  he  broke  out  into  full-throated  laughter. 

"  By  Jove  !  "  he  cried,  striking  his  knee  with  the 
hand  that  held  the  papers.  "  But  that  is  one  on 
Uncle  Randolph,  and  no  mistake  !  " 

The  deputy  inspector  looked  up  with  an  ex 
pression  of  bewilderment,  and  Jerry  felt  that  he 
was  no  more  enlightened  as  to  what  Jack  had  in 
mind  than  was  the  guest. 

"  What  is  it  ?  "  Tab  asked. 

"Oh,  we're  run  down  at  last!  Think  of  our 
being  nabbed  at  the  last  moment,  when  we  Ve  done 
all  we  wanted  to  with  the  yacht !"  And  he  fell  to 
laughing  again,  as  if  being  caught  red-handed  in  a 
pirated  yacht  were  the  merriest  jest  in  the  world. 

Taberman  was  still  completely  bewildered,  but 
he  at  least  perceived  that  Jack  was  bound  to  carry 
off  the  matter  with  laughter  ;  and  by  way  of  assist- 


278  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

ing  as  well  as  he  could,  he  began  also  to  laugh. 
He  took  the  papers,  and  glanced  at  them  enough 
to  see  that  one  was  a  letter  from  Lloyd's,  contain 
ing  a  notification  of  the  Merle's  disappearance, 
with  a  description  of  the  yacht  and  a  specification 
of  her  captors  ;  the  other  a  warrant  for  search  and 
apprehension.  He  followed  Jack's  lead,  and  if  his 
efforts  did  not  ring  as  true,  he  at  least  made  more 
noise. 

"  That 's  rich  !"  he  roared.  "Ha!  Ha!  Ha!" 

He  thrust  the  papers  back  to  the  captain,  who 
tossed  them  on  the  table,  and  both  together  they 
broke  out  afresh. 

"  Excuse  our  laughing,"  Jack  said,  turning  to 
the  inspector,  who  gazed  from  one  to  the  other 
as  if  he  thought  they  had  gone  mad ;  "  but  really 
it 's  too  ripping  !  " 

"  Ain't  ye  the  parties  ?  "  demanded  the  official 
sternly. 

"  Oh,  we  're  the  parties  all  fast  enough;  but  — 
Well,  now,  look  here.  This  yacht  belongs  to  my 
uncle,  you  see." 

"Yes,  sir,"  replied  the  honest  Mainbrace,  evi 
dently  puzzled,  as  he  would  have  put  it,  to  make 
out  the  other's  numbers,  but  still  Britannically 
deferential  to  the  nephew  of  a  man  who  was  able 
to  own  a  vacht  such  as  the  Merle. 


IN  THE  CATTEWATER          279 

"  Well,  you  see,  I  ran  away  with  her  because  he 
would  n't  let  me  come  across,  and  he  's  had  no 
good  of  her  the  whole  summer.  From  your  papers 
I  judge  he  looked  for  me  on  the  other  side  six 
weeks  before  he  notified  you  at  all.  You  see  how 
much  of  the  summer  that  leaves  him  ;  and  now, 
just  as  I  'm  starting  to  carry  her  back  as  fast  as 
the  wind  will  take  her,  you  step  in  and  stop  us." 

"  Why,  ye  see,  sir,"  began  the  inspector,  evi 
dently  endeavoring  to  accommodate  himself  to  the 
new  light  thrown  by  the*  captain  on  the  situation, 
"  the  fact  is  'e  says  'e  wants  'er  in  a  'urry." 

"  He  won't  get  her,  then,"  Jack  said  with  a  grin. 
"  By  the  time  you  Ve  red-taped  her,  and  charged 
for  her,  and  negotiated  her,  and  sent  her  over  with 
a  hired  crew,  it  '11  be  December  at  the  very  earli 
est  —  to  say  nothing  of  the  twenty  or  thirty  pounds 
he  '11  have  to  pay  you  and  the  cost  of  the  crew 
you  send  her  over  by.  It  is  hard  lines  for  Uncle 
Randolph." 

"It  is  so,"  Jerry  agreed,  fervently  glad  to  be  at 
last  in  possession  of  the  way  Jack  meant  to  work. 

"  I  'm  really  sorry  for  Uncle  Randolph,"  Jack 
continued,  sobering  down.  "  But  then,  he  might 
have  trusted  me  to  bring  the  Merle  back." 

"  Ye  ain't  takin'  it  too  much  to  'eart,  are  ye, 
sir  ?  "  queried  the  big  Englishman,  with  a  look  so 


28o  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

humorous  and  quizzical  that  Jerry  was  seized  by 
a  dreadful  suspicion  that  the  twinkling  eyes  saw 
through  the  whole  scheme  of  bluff. 

"  Not  I,"  Jack  assented  blithely  ;  "  though  of 
course  I  'd  rather  have  taken  the  yacht  home 
myself.  What 's  the  next  move  ?  Do  you  put  us 
in  irons,  or  hang  us  to  the  crosstree-ends  ?  " 

"  Why,  they  sent  word  from  Lloyd's,"  replied 
Mainbrace,  with  the  unmistakable  grin  of  a  man 
who  regards  himself  as  a  humorist,  "  that  the 
owner  said  not  to  be  too  'ard  on  ye.  I  expect 
*t  '11  be  no  worse  nor  transportation  for  life." 
Then  he  put  on  a  graver  and  more  professional 
look,  and  added,  "  I  'm  afraid  we  '11  'ave  to  be 
more  serious,  sir.  Will  ye  kindly  show  me  your 
papers  and  the  log  ?  I  suppose  you  'ave  'em 
'andy." 

"  Certainly,"  the  captain  said,  also  assuming  an 
official  air.  "  Jerry,  will  you  give  the  inspector  the 
papers?  I '11  get  the  log." 

The  examination  of  the  papers  was  a  short 
matter,  and  then  they  took  up  the  log.  It  was 
at  once  evident  that  the  Englishman  had  a  keen 
curiosity  to  discover  what  the  young  men  had 
been  doing  with  the  Merle,  and  that  he  was  no 
less  eager  in  his  interest  in  all  things  nautical. 
Jerry  sat  by  in  almost  open-mouthed  admiration 


IN  THE  CATTEWATER          281 

to  see  how  the  captain  took  advantage  of  both 
these  characteristics.  Jack  could  be  most  attrac 
tive,  and  from  the  start  it  was  evident  that  he  was 
doing:  his  best  to  please  Mr.  Mainbrace.  He  ex- 

o  r 

plained  all  the  manoeuvres  of  that  memorable  night 
when  the  Merle  had  been  spirited  away  in  the 
fog,  while  the  jolly  face  of  the  deputy  inspector 
became  more  and  more  radiant  with  each  new 
development  of  the  story.  The  charts  were  pro 
duced,  each  detail  of  seamanship  carefully  brought 
out,  and  the  whole  episode  lived  over  again.  Jack 
warmed  to  his  subject  as  he  went  on ;  Jerry  threw 
in  a  word  now  and  then  when  the  captain  in  his 
eagerness  seemed  in  danger  of  forgetting  to  men 
tion  some  detail ;  the  Englishman  listened  with 
chuckles  and  with  laughter  which  soon  came  to 
be  devoid  of  the  slightest  pretense  of  official  dig 
nity  ;  and,  in  a  word,  the  three  became  as  merry 
and  companionable  over  the  log  as  if  they  were 
all  pirates  together.  Mainbrace  had  been  a  sailor 
and  a  mate  in  his  day,  and  showed  the  keenest 
zest  for  every  nautical  experience.  There  is  no 
surer  bond  of  comradeship  than  mutual  love  of 
the  sea;  and  despite  differences  of  race,  age,  and 
social  position,  Jack,  Jerry,  and  the  deputy  in 
spector  fraternized  over  the  Merle's  log  as  only 
sailors  can. 


282  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

The  log-book  was  read  to  the  last  entry.  Over 
the  account  of  the  gale  the  yacht  had  encountered 
on  her  way  across  the  Atlantic  Mainbrace  became 
as  excited  as  if  he  had  had  a  personal  stake  in  the 
safety  of  the  Merle.  His  ejaculations  became  more 
and  more  emphatic  and  more  and  more  pictur 
esque,  and  his  rejoicing  over  the  safe  weathering 
of  the  storm  almost  as  fervid  as  if  he  had  been 
in  it  himself.  The  race  at  Nice  Jack  told  of  with  as 
little  reflection  on  the  unsportsmanlike  conduct  of 
Lord  Merryfield  as  was  possible ;  but  the  jovial 
countenance  of  Mainbrace  darkened,  and  he  ex 
pressed  an  opinion  of  the  absent  nobleman  which 
was  sufficiently  tonic  to  satisfy  even  Taberman. 
Jack  said  afterward  that  by  the  time  they  got 
through  the  log  a  quotation  from  "  Horatius " 
popped  into  his  head,  and  he  came  very  near 
breaking  out  with  it :  — 

With  weeping  and  with  laughter 
Still  is  the  story  told. 

To  which  Jerry  replied  that  he  could  n't  think 
of  quotations,  he  was  so  carried  away  by  the  en 
thusiastic  delight  of  the  jolly  old  inspector  and 
the  quaint  ways  in  which  it  was  expressed. 

When  at  last  the  record  was  closed,  the  conver 
sation  still  at  first  ran  on  the  cruise,  but  soon  it 
began  to  take  a  turn  which  made  Jerry  prick  up 


IN  THE  CATTEWATER          283 

his  ears  anew.  The  inspector  remarked,  with  an 
exceedingly  droll  twinkle  of  his  eyes,  that  duty 
was  duty,  but  that  he  would  be  summarily  dealt 
with  if  he  would  n't  feel  bad  to  have  to  bear  on 
hard  on  a  couple  of  fellows  that  had  played  the 
biggest  joke  he  ever  heard  of  in  his  life,  and  had 
carried  the  whole  thing  through  with  so  much 
cleverness  and  grit.  To  this  Jack  responded  that 
he  was  most  appreciative  of  the  kindness  of  Mr. 
Mainbrace,  but  that  of  course  duty  was  duty  - 
although  it  would  really  have  been  luck  for  the 
owner  of  the  Merle,  quite  as  much  as  for  himself 
and  his  mate,  if  the  yacht  could  have  gone  on 
her  way  uninterrupted.  To  this  in  turn  Main- 
brace  gave  his  assent,  and  went  on  to  say  that  he 
must,  of  course,  carry  out  instructions,  and  that 
he  was  legally  empowered  to  leave  a  keeper  on 
board  until  he  could  come  out  again  to-morrow 
with  directions  he  expected  to  receive  from  Lon 
don. 

"  Though  I  dunno,"  he  added  drolly,  "  's  it 's 
safe  to  trust  a  man  with  ye.  Ye  're  cap'ble  o'  run- 
nin'  off  with  'im." 

"  We  might,"  Jack  responded  brightly.  "  I 
would  n't  be  responsible." 

"  Or  we  might  throw  him  overboard,"  suggested 
Jerry,  with  the  broadest  possible  grin. 


284  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

"  Most  o'  my  men  kin  swim  some,"  Main- 
brace  retorted.  "  I  should  'ave  to  tell  'im  'f  'e  got 
overboard  to  tow  the  yacht  in  shore." 

The  jest  was  not  of  the  first  water,  but  they 
had  got  to  a  merry  mood,  and  it  was  properly 
laughed  over.  Then  Mainbrace,  in  high  good 

o  *  O         O 

humor,  went  on  to  say  that  he  'd  been  so  well 
treated,  and  he  had  so  enjoyed  the  log,  that  he 
thought  on  the  whole  he  would  not  put  a  man  in 
charge.  He  added  that  it  was  late,  and  he  must 
be  on  his  way  ashore  now,  but  that  they  might 
expect  him  out  again  to-morrow. 

"  I  'm  sorry  I  'ave  to  bother  ye,  gentlemen,"  he 
added,  as  they  went  on  deck.  "  I  've  been  to  sea 
myself  too  many  years  not  to  'ate  this  bloody 
red-tape  business,  —  an'  they  do  reel  it  or?  by  the 
cable-length  when  they  'ave  'arf  a  chance." 

The  inspector's  jolly-boat,  the  most  appropri 
ate  of  conveyances  for  the  jovial  sea-dog,  was  still 
alongside.  The  fog  had  lightened  somewhat,  and 
watery  beams  of  the  sun  leaked  through  it  over 
head.  As  Mr.  Mainbrace  was  about  to  descend 
the  steps  to  the  boat,  he  paused  a  moment  and 
pulled  at  his  thick  beard  as  if  meditating  pro 
foundly. 

"I  'm  'most  afraid  if  you  gentlemen  took  it 
into  your  'eads  to  give  us  the  slip  we  should  n't 


IN  THE  CATTEWATER          285 

know  it  on  shore  in  this  'ere  fog,"  he  observed, 
casting  a  queer,  sidling  glance  at  Jack. 

"  It  is  trusting  somewhat  to  luck  to  leave  us," 
the  captain  responded  coolly,  "  and  I  want  to  say 
now  that  I  appreciate  your  kindness  in  not  for 
cing  a  keeper  on  us." 

"  Well,  cap'n,"  continued  the  inspector,  gazing 
out  over  the  water  with  the  look  of  one  who  has 
no  personal  interest  in  the  matter  under  discus 
sion,  "  I  was  goin'  to  say,  if  you  get  a  good  chance, 
you  'd  better  shift  your  berth.  You  '11  find  it  kind 
o'  snugger  ridin'  some  ways  along  to  the  west'ard, 
I  expect.  But  you  know  best,  o'  course.  All  is, 
you  're  in  a  tightish  place  here.  I  alers  liked  more 
sea-room  myself.  Good-day,  sir." 

"  Good-day.  Maybe  you  '11  find  we  Ve  shifted 
by  to-morrow.  If  we  have,  it  '11  be  to  westward." 

"  I  '11  come  out  to-morrow,"  said  the  old  sailor 
in  his  most  official  manner.  Then  he  looked  from 
one  to  the  other  with  his  merriest  twinkle  and 
an  emphatic  nod.  "  Duty  is  duty,"  he  remarked. 
"Good-day,  sirs." 

He  turned  to  descend,  but  suddenly  Jack  ar 
rested  him. 

"  Oh,  you  Ve  forgotten  your  pipe,"  he  said. 

"  My  pipe  ? "  echoed  Mainbrace,  stopping  short. 

"Yes,  I '11  get  it." 


286  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

The  captain  dashed  into  the  cabin,  and  reap 
peared  with  a  silver-mounted  briarwood,  colored 
just  enough  to  suggest  a  comfortable  chimney- 
corner  and  a  mind  at  ease. 

"  You  left  it  on  the  table,"  he  said,  presenting 
it  to  the  big  inspector. 

The  other  took  it  with  an  expression  queerly 
compounded  of  surprise,  awkwardness,  amuse 
ment,  and  delight. 

"Thank  ye,  sir,"  he  said.  "  It  's  'ansome  of 
you  to  fetch  it  up  ye'self, —  most  'ansome.  I  'm 
mortal  fond  o'  that  pipe." 

He  regarded  it  affectionately  a  moment,  and 
then  stowed  it  away  inside  his  jacket.  Then  he 
turned  again  to  go  down  to  the  waiting  jolly- 
boat. 

"  I  '11  come  out  to-morrow,"  he  called  up  to 
them.  "  Duty  is  duty.  Good-day,  sirs." 

"  Good-day,"  they  called  in  concert ;  and  off 
went  the  deputy  inspector  toward  the  hardly  per 
ceptible  shore  through  the  fog. 

"  By  George,  he  's  a  brick  !  "  Jack  cried. 

"  Right-o,"  assented  Jerry,  "  but  it  took  you 
to  cement  him." 

"  Atrocious  !  If  you  're  going  to  pun  like  that 
you  must  be  taken  home  to  your  family  at  once. 
*  Duty  is  duty  '  !  Did  you  see  the  solemn  wink 


IN  THE  CATTEWATER          287 

the  old  fellow  tipped  me  when  he  spoke  of  shift 
ing  to  westward?  I  thought  I  should  burst  out 
laughing  on  the  spot,  and  give  the  whole  thing 
away.  How  's  the  water  ?  " 

"  Tanks  chock-a-block.  Gonzague  had  them 
filled  from  the  water-boat  this  morning.  Did  you 
get  your  rrtoney  ?  " 

"Every  pound  of  it.  Wrenmarsh  took  me  to 
the  bank  and  identified  me,  and  was  mighty  nice 
about  the  whole  thing.  Provisions  are  O.K.  Off 
we  go.  Call  the  watch." 

"  Yes,  but  see  my  ring  first,"  Tab  said,  hold 
ing  it  out. 

In  half  an  hour  the  Merle  was  changing  her 
berth  to  the  westward. 


Chapter  Sixteen 

STORM  ! 

A  GRAY  sea,  a  gray  sky,  and  the  Mid- Atlantic 
Ocean  in  September.  Over  the  heaving  waters  the 
Merle,  under  reduced  canvas,  was  staggering  west 
ward  on  the  port-tack  with  a  stiff  southerly  breeze. 
Jack,  clad  in  his  yellow  oil-skins  like  the  rest  of 
the  hands,  was  standing  just  outside  the  cockpit 
on  the  windward  side  of  the  yacht.  Jerry  was 
asleep  below.  Having  had  the  early  morning 
watch,  he  had  turned  in  directly  after  breakfast. 
The  captain  glanced  aloft  uneasily,  and  wondered 
if  they  were  going  to  encounter  on  their  return  such 
a  gale  as  they  had  weathered  while  going  over. 
He  reluctantly  admitted  to  himself  that  there  was 
every  appearance  of  dirty  weather,  and  thought  he 
had  better  step  below  to  take  a  look  at  the  glass. 
He  pushed  back  the  companion,  and  descended. 
The  cabin  was  stuffy  and  no  warmer  than  the  air 
without.  The  racks  were  on  the  table,  and  the 
lamps  swung  in  erratic  circles  in  their  gimbals.  The 


STORM!  289 

barometer,  a  beautifully  finished  instrument  of  the 
columnar  type,  was  placed  against  the  after-bulk 
head  of  the  saloon  on  the  starboard  beside  a  closet 
door,  its  slender  length  enclosed  in  bronze.  It 
gyrated  wildly,  in  unison  with  the  Thorn's  list- 
indicator  above  it.  Jack  steadied  the  tube  with 
his  hand,  and  looked  anxiously  to  see  if  the  mer 
cury  had  fallen. 

"  Good  God  !  "  he  burst  out. 

At  eight  bells  that  morning  the  vernier  of  the 
glass  had  been  set  at  29.32.  With  staring  eyes, 
Jack  saw  that  now,  little  more  than  two  hours 
later,  the  mercury  had  sunk  to  27.09,  —  a  drop 
portentous  of  a  furious  gale.  For  one  brief  mo 
ment,  in  the  face  of  approaching  danger,  and  filled 
with  a  quick  sense  of  his  great  responsibility,  he 
stood  appalled.  He  put  his  hand  to  his  forehead 
as  if  he  were  dizzy  and  found  it  hard  to  think. 

"  How's  the  glass,  Jack  ?"  asked  a  voice  beside 
him.  He  turned  with  troubled  eyes  to  see  Tab  in 
his  pajamas,  a  freshly  lighted  cigarette  between  his 
fingers.  "  What 's  the  trouble  ?  "  the  mate  de 
manded  instantly,  seeming  bewildered  at  the  cap 
tain's  appearance. 

"  What  brought  you  out  here  ?  "  the  captain 
retorted,  though  why  he  should  have  asked  he 
could  not  have  told. 


290  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

"  Heard  you  exclaiming.  What 's  the  trouble?  " 

"  Look  !  "  Jack  answered,  pointing  to  the  glass. 

"  All  that !  "  gasped  Jerry. 

"  Get  your  togs  on,"  was  the  only  reply  Jack 
offered.  "  Be  quick,  and  come  on  deck." 

Jerrold  left  him  without  a  word,  and  padded 
off  to  his  cabin.  Jack  reset  the  vernier,  and  went 
out.  To  his  disturbed  mind  it  seemed  as  if  in  the 
brief  interval  during  which  he  had  been  below  the 
whole  appearance  of  nature  had  grown  more  omi 
nous.  In  five  minutes  Jerry  was  with  him. 

"Well,  Jack?" 

"  I  Ve  made  up  my  mind  what  to  do,"  the  cap 
tain  announced.  "  It 's  going  to  blow  fit  to  take 
your  hair  out  by  the  roots :  that  much  is  sure." 

Jerry  nodded  soberly,  and  looked  his  friend 
straight  in  the  eye. 

"  We  '11  have  to  lay-to  before  we  see  the  end 
of  this,  and  I  'd  rather  do  so  at  sea-anchor  'n  any 
other  way.  What  do  you  think  ?  " 

"  That 's  right  enough.  I  suppose  we  'd  better 
make  ready  now  ?  " 

"  We  sha'n't  have  much  time  when  it  does 
come.  We  must  get  a  mess  of  things  together  up 
for'ard  fit  to  hold  a  liner.  We  '11  need  it." 

Jack  got  the  hands  together  around  the  winch 
forward,  and  set  them  at  once,  under  his  direction, 


STORM!  291 

to  the  making  of  the  "  sea-anchor."  The  spin 
naker-boom  and  the  two  shorter  boat-booms  were 
first  lashed  firmly  together  with  inch  rope  in  a 
rough  isosceles  triangle. 

"  Now,"  Jack  ordered,  "  fetch  the  old  staysail, 
and  bend  it  on  in  the  frame." 

"  How  are  you  going  to  ballast  the  thing  ?  " 
asked  Tab.  "  It  '11  float  flat  if  you  don't  give  it  a 
sinker." 

"  I  fancy  the  market-boat's  killock  would  be 
about  the  right  thing  if  we  could  get  at  it,"  Jack 
answered.  "  Do  you  know  where  "  — 

"  Yes,  yes,"  interrupted  Jerry  hastily.  "  It 's 
with  the  rest  of  her  gear.  I  '11  get  it."  And  he 
went  aft. 

Although  the  wind  had  not  as  yet  increased  in 
violence,  Jack,  standing  as  he  did  almost  at  the 
peak  of  the  vessel,  felt  the  motion  much  more 
than  he  had  farther  aft.  The  great  gray-green 
seas  heaved  hard  about  the  plunging  yacht,  and 
every  now  and  then  she  ran  bowsprit  under.  She 
was  a  rather  dry  boat,  fortunately,  of  the  "hollow 
bow  "  model,  and  in  the  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes 
that  the  men  had  been  working  on  the  anchor, 
she  had  not  taken  any  waves  aboard.  The  spin 
drift,  it  is  true,  flew  across  her  by  the  bucketful, 
but  the  men,  dressed  in  their  oilers,  blinked  the 


292  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

cold  water  out  of  their  eyes  and  went  on  with  their 
work.  Before  Jerry  returned,  however,  as  the 
crew  were  bending  the  old  staysail  to  the  triangu 
lar  frame,  the  captain,  to  his  consternation,  saw 
that  the  Merle  was  just  working  her  way  up  the 
breast  of  a  mighty  hill  of  water  with  all  likelihood 
of  burying  herself  in  the  rising  wall  of  a  wave 
ahead. 

"  'Ware  water  !  "  he  shouted. 

The  men  dropped  their  work  and  caught  at 
whatever  was  nearest  at  hand.  Some  threw  an 
arm  about  the  bollard  by  the  knighthead ;  some 
jumped  for  the  winch  ;  two  men  got  a  tight  grip 
on  the  large  ring-bolts  by  the  port  cat-heads ;  Jack 
himself  leaped  for  the  winch  and  put  his  right 
arm  around  the  drum. 

The  Merle  labored  to  the  crest  of  the  hill  of 
water.  It  sank  away  beneath  her  instantly,  and 
she  shot  down  the  slope  of  the  wave  into  the 
trough  of  the  sea  with  a  headlong,  staggering 
rush.  Towering  above  her  was  the  roughened, 
foam-blotched  face  of  the  succeeding  wave.  She 
tried  bravely  to  climb  it,  but  she  was  too  near, 
the  angle  was  too  sharp  ;  she  could  not  so  quickly 
recover  from  the  impetus  of  her  downward  plunge. 
She  seemed  to  tremble — to  hesitate  —  for  an  in 
stant,  and  then  as  if  in  the  courage  of  despair,  to 


STORM !  293 

leap  forward  with  a  jerk  into  the  very  midst  of 
the  flood  as  if  she  would  force  her  way  through 
its  tons  of  swinging  sea-water. 

Jack  went  to  the  deck  under  the  tremendous 
blow  of  the  on-rushing  wave  as  if  he  had  been 
struck  down  by  a  thunderbolt.  He  felt  the  shock, 
the  biting  cold  of  the  water,  and  then  it  seemed  as 
if  a  giant  had  gripped  him  with  hands  of  ice  and 
were  trying  to  wrench  him  from  his  hold.  He 
clung  on,  drenched,  bewildered,  desperate,  until 
he  wondered  if  his  arm  would  be  pulled  out  of  its 
socket.  He  had  a  stifling  sensation  of  having  been 
for  hours  without  air ;  he  felt  as  if  he  were  being 
dragged  by  some  terrible  power  swiftly  through 
the  sea  miles  below  the  surface.  On  a  sudden  he 
again  felt  the  deck  under  him,  and  opened  his  eyes. 
The  Merle  had  forced  her  way  through  the  wave, 
and  they  were  again  free.  He  gasped,  spluttered, 
and  rose  to  his  feet,  the  water  streaming  from  him. 
Inside  the  bulwarks  to  starboard  the  green,  foam- 
mixed  brine  washed  about  knee-deep,  and  was 
pouring  with  a  hoarse  gurgling  out  of  the  scuppers 
forward.  The  "anchor"  had  been  swept  bodily 
aft  as  far  as  the  foremast,  and  there  was  jammed 
between  the  mast  itself  and  the  weather-shrouds. 
Drenched  and  cursing,  the  men  squelched  their 
way  aft,  dislodged  the  structure,  and  dragged  it 


294  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

forward  again.  Luckily  the  mishap,  really  a  slight 
one  of  twenty  seconds'  duration,  had  wrought  no 
damage  which  could  not  be  easily  repaired,  and 
so  the  crew  took  up  their  work  where  they  had 
left  it. 

Jerry  reappeared  with  the  killock  of  the  market- 
boat  just  as  they  got  into  place  once  more. 

"  Did  you  get  wet  ? "  he  asked  cheerily,  with  a 
broad  grin  which  showed  that  he  saw  what  had 
happened. 

"  What  do  you  think  ?  "  burst  out  the  captain 
hotly.  "  No  ;  I  got  dry,  damn  it !  " 

"  Did  you  really,  though  !  Well,  I  thought 
you  looked  damp." 

Jack  paid  this  boyish  jest  with  a  word  that  was 
sharp  and  a  look  that  was  too  near  a  grin  not  to 
take  the  sting  from  it.  He  took  the  killock  that 
Jerry  had  brought,  and  had  the  men  make  it  fast 
to  the  lower  point  of  the  kite-like  frame  where 
the  short  boat-booms  met.  To  the  ends  of  the 
long  spinnaker-boom  he  fastened  lengths  of  strong 
inch  Manilla,  and  a  piece  somewhat  shorter  to 
the  point  where  the  killock  was  attached.  The 
captain  meant  that  the  "  sea-anchor,"  when  in  the 
water,  should  ride  not  exactly  vertical,  but  that  by 
the  shorter  line  the  weighted  point  should  be  lifted 
a  little  toward  the  yacht  as  the  Merle  dragged 


STORM !  295 

back  on  it.  In  the  end  of  each  of  these  lines  a 
bow-line  was  bent,  and  through  the  bights  of 
them  he  had  the  rode  bent  and  made  fast.  The 
whole  contrivance  was  then  like  a  triangular  kite 
weighted  at  the  point  made  by  the  shorter  sides, 
and  held  by  lines  from  the  three  corners  joined  on 
the  rode,  which  corresponded  to  the  string.  When 
the  work  was  finished  Jack  inspected  it  all  care 
fully,  and  examined  the  fastenings. 

"  It 's  a  rough  enough  concern,"  he  said  to  Jerry ; 
"  but  it 's  stanch,  and  if  we  have  to  use  it,  it  '11  do 
good  service.  Make  it  fast,"  he  added  to  the  men. 
"  Put  on  a  couple  of  strong  gaskets  for  stoppers. 
Come  on,  Tab  ;  I  don't  want  another  ducking." 

They  went  aft  to  the  cockpit,  and  the  captain 
started  to  go  below. 

"  I  '11  just  take  another  look  at  that  glass,"  he 
said.  "  It 's  well  to  keep  a  "  — 

"  Look  !  "  cried  Jerry  suddenly,  seizing  him  by 
the  arm,  and  pointing  away  to  the  southward. 

Jack's  eyes  followed  the  mate's  arm.  Afar  off 
on  the  gloomy  horizon,  the  black  sea  below  and  the 
gray  sky  above  were  in  one  place  welded  together 
by  a  wall  of  impenetrable  haze.  It  was  not  much 
more  than  a  spot,  but  Jack  at  a  glance  took  in  its 
full  significance,  and  knew  that  before  the  Merle 
was  a  struggle  that  would  try  her  strength  and  his 


296  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

seamanship  to  the  very  utmost.  He  opened  his 
mouth  to  speak,  and  closed  his  lips  firmly  without  a 
word.  He  looked  a  moment  at  the  inky  mist, 
and  then  dashed  below.'  In  a  couple  of  minutes 
he  reappeared  with  a  grim  look  on  his  usually 
genial  face. 

"Jerry,"  he  said  hurriedly,  "  I  've  been  down 
and  tried  the  storm-card  on  the  chart.  If  we  keep 
on  as  she  's  going,  we  '11  fetch  up  plumb  in  the 
centre  of  this  mess.  The  Merle  would  n't  live 
there  half  an  hour." 

"  Well  ?  "  questioned  Jerry.  His  face  was  sober, 
and  had  about  it  a  suggestion  of  a  big,  serious  dog 
that  watches  its  troubled  master.  "  What  can  we 
do?" 

"  There  is  only  one  thing  to  do,"  Jack  re 
sponded  quickly,  but  with  absolute  decision. 
"  The  centre  bears  southwesterly,  —  that 's  why 
our  wind's  hauled  'round.  We've  got  to  put 
about  and  run  into  the  heart  of  that  greasy  streak 
yonder.  It  '11  be  a  tough  job,  but  not  so  bad  as 
if  we  were  farther  westward.  When  we  get  the 
wind  westerly,  we  '11  lay  to.  If  we  do  anything 
else,  we'll  be  swept  into  the  centre,  sure's  fate." 

"  Can't  we  run  it  out  ?  "  Jerry  asked  desperately. 
"  It  '11  be  tremendous  !  That  blow  we  had  coming 
over  '11  be  pale  beside  it.  Think,  man  !  " 


STORM !  297 

"  I  have,"  Jack  said  shortly.  "  Ready  'bout 
ship  !  "  he  shouted. 

The  men  sprang  to  their  places,  although  Jack 
could  see  that  they  threw  swift  glances  of  surprise 
at  him  as  they  did  so.  The  evidence,  slight  as  it 
was,  that  he  was  acting  alone,  and  that  he  must 
see  farther  and  more  wisely  than  the  men  under 
him,  accustomed  as  they  were  to  the  sea,  imparted 
a  new  ring  of  command  to  his  voice  as  he  gave 
the  necessary  orders.  With  some  difficulty  and 
with  much  uproar  of  booming  canvas  and  slatting 
ropes,  the  schooner  came  about,  and  Jack  had  her 
headed  straight  for  the  black  spot  on  the  horizon. 

Jack  hurried  on  preparations  for  the  storm  be 
fore  them.  He  had  sail  taken  in  and  double- 
reefed  ;  the  "  spitfire  "jib  set  in  place  of  the  larger 
forestaysail,  and  tarpaulins  battened  over  the  sky 
lights.  He  put  the  yacht  as  completely  as  pos 
sible  in  heavy-weather  trim,  to  meet  the  gale 
scudding  along  over  the  black  sea  toward  them. 

He  was  none  too  soon,  for  the  storm  was  not 
long  in  coming.  The  gray  sky  above  the  yacht 
grew  darker  and  darker,  the  sea  about  her  more  and 

D  ' 

more  "  cobbly."  The  wind  freshened  rapidly,  and 
veered  more  toward  the  west.  The  Merle  sailed 
on  gallantly,  the  green  waves  breaking  against  her 
weather  shoulder,  and  the  spindrift  flying  down 


298  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

the  decks  as  she  slashed  her  way  to  windward. 
The  tops  of  the  great  seas,  as  they  heaved  them 
selves  skyward,  were  snatched  off  by  the  gale,  and 
sped  in  white  sheets  down  the  wind. 

Jack  was  standing  in  the  cockpit  with  Jerry. 
He  was  watching  the  weather  narrowly,  and  now 
and  then,  with  a  brief  word  or  two,  gave  the  steers 
men  —  for  the  wheel  needed  two  of  them  —  a 
command  or  a  warning.  The  force  of  the  gale  so 
increased  that  at  the  end  of  an  hour  and  a  half  the 
mainsail,  though  triple-reefed,  was  got  down  and 
furled,  and  the  forestaysail,  which  had  been  un 
bent  to  give  place  to  the  spitfire,  was  set  on  the 
boom  as  a  trysail. 

It  had  come  on  to  rain,  and  the  big  drops  were 
driven  along  almost  in  horizontal  lines.  When  they 
struck  the  face  Jack  felt  as  if  he  had  been  pelted 
with  hailstones.  Mixed  with  the  flying  spindrift 
they  filled  the  air  as  if  with  a  mist,  blinding  and 
fierce. 

Suddenly,  as  the  yacht  was  dipping  into  the 
trough  of  a  long  sea,  a  strong  gust  listed  her  over 
so  that  aft  the  green  water  rose  on  the  decks  to 
within  a  fathom  of  the  cockpit  combings.  A  sharp 
report  burst  out  above  all  the  roaring  of  the 
wind  and  the  multitudinous  clamor  of  the  waters. 
Jack  looked  up  to  see  the  trysail  streaming  out  in 


STORM !  299 

tattered  ribbons,  writhing  and  twisting  like  pale 
snakes  in  mad  fury.  The  sight  inflamed  him  like 
a  personal  insult  flung  at  him  by  the  storm.  He 
broke  out  with  a  cry,  and  with  a  great  oath  swore 
he  would  see  the  Merle  through  in  spite  of  every 
thing. 

"Tab,"  he  shouted  in  the  mate's  ear,  "get 
along  forward  on  that  sea-anchor  !  Stand  by  to 
launch  it.  We  don't  want  any  more  of  this  !  " 

He  saw  Jerry  gather  the  port  watch,  —  for  all 
the  men  had  been  on  deck  for  two  hours  past, 
clinging  to  whatever  was  nearest  and  alternately 
watching  the  storm  and  the  captain,  —  and  with 
them  scrabble  forward,  making  way  by  the  help 
of  whatever  could  be  grasped.  Their  difficulty  in 
getting  forward  was  to  Jack  like  a  sudden  realiza 
tion  of  the  danger  they  were  in,  and  made  him  for 
the  moment  think  of  the  men,  whereas  he  had  be 
fore  been  conscious  of  nothing  but  of  the  yacht 
herself.  He  saw  the  men  gather  about  the  "sea- 
anchor,"  swaying  and  pitching  with  the  motion 
of  the  bow,  and  Jerry  turn  to  look  for  his  signal. 
The  yacht  was  carrying  such  a  strong  lee-helm 
that  the  steersmen  could  not  keep  her  head  to 
the  wind,  and  Jack  shouted  and  gesticulated  fran 
tically  to  Jerry  to  get  down  the  storm-jib,  while  at 
the  same  time  he  ordered  the  starboard  watch  to 


300  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

unstop  the  mainsail.  He  was  in  deadly  fear  lest 
the  vessel  should  get  clean  broadside  to  the  wind 
and  that  the  decks  would  be  swept. 

"  Unstop  the  mainsail !  "  he  roared.  "  Show  the 
peak!  Douse  the  jib  !" 

Again  he  motioned  to  Jerry,  knowing  that  his 
voice  would  not  be  heard  forward.  He  saw  Tab 
pause  a  moment,  and  then  wave  his  arm  in  reply. 
To  his  utter  dismay,  however,  he  saw  the  mate 
and  the  men  with  him  stoop,  get  hold  of  the  "  sea- 
anchor,"  and,  tugging  and  stumbling,  begin  to 
haul  it  up  to  the  weather  side.  It  flashed  on  Jack 
that  his  gestures  had  been  misunderstood,  and  his 
order  to  get  down  the  jib  mistaken  for  a  command 
to  launch  the  "  anchor."  With  a  sickening  plunge 
the  Merle  at  that  moment  coasted  down  a  mighty 
wave,  fell  off,  and  lay  broadside  to  the  seas.  For 
a  second  he  felt  as  if  everything  was  lost. 

"  Smartly  !  "  he  roared  to  the  starboard  watch, 
who  were  working  for  their  lives  upon  the  main- 
boom. 

He  gave  them  one  glance,  and  started  to  rush 
forward,  running  recklessly  along,  and  feeling  for 
his  sheath-knife  as  he  went.  A  quick  lurch  of  the 
yacht  to  port  flung  him  oflf  his  feet,  and  shot  him 
forward  and  to  his  right.  He  instinctively  flung 
out  his  hand,  and  clutched  something  metallic. 


STORM  !  301 

"  'Ware  water  !  "  he  mumbled,  half  stunned. 

A  green  shadow  curled  over  him.  There  was  a 
crashing  roar  to  leeward.  He  felt  the  yacht  stag 
ger  and  tremble,  and  suddenly  and  with  an  odd 
mental  twist  he  remembered  vividly  an  earthquake 
shock  he  had  once  felt  at  Patras.  The  shadow 
disappeared,  a  little  water  came  slap  !  on  his  oil 
skin  jacket  between  the  shoulders.  The  rest  of 
the  wave  —  tons  and  tons  of  green  water — had 
curled  itself  over  him,  and  crashed  on  the  decks 
to  leeward. 

He  got  to  his  feet  unsteadily,  and  with  a  queer 
singing  in  his  ears  ran  forward.  He  threw  a  quick 
look  to  port  as  he  ran.  The  force  of  the  sea  had 
evidently  been  heaviest  amidships,  for  he  saw  that 
for  thirty  feet  on  the  lee  beam  the  rail  had  been 
burst  out  between  the  fore  and  main  rigging ; 
two  boats  were  gone,  and  the  skylights,  broken, 
yawned  blackly.  Jack  groaned  inwardly,  but  did 
not  stop.  Pitching  and  staggering,  he  made  his 
way  to  the  foremast.  A  sudden  fling  of  the  yacht 
threatened  to  make  him,  as  he  afterward  put  it, 
"  overshoot  the  mark  "  and  tumble  past  the  hal 
yards.  Fortunately,  however,  he  checked  himself 
by  catching  at  the  foretopsail-clewline  as  he  was 
being  pitched  by,  and  he  clung  to  it  desperately. 
He  laid  hold  of  the  spitfire  halyard.  One  quick 


302  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

glance  at  the  turns  about  the  pin  in  the  rack  told 
him  how  much  time  he  should  save  by  cutting  the 
rope,  and  with  a  swift  backdrawing  of  the  sharp 
sheath-knife  he  severed  it.  The  fall  of  the  halyard 
flew  up  aloft,  playfully  dealing  him  a  smart  rap 
on  the  chin  as  it  went ;  the  sail  ran  down  in  thun 
der,  and  blew  away  in  shreds.  The  Merle  began 
to  rise,  and  Jack  felt  a  thrill  of  joyful  relief  to  see 
that  she  was  coming  up  into  the  wind.  The  men 
aft  had  showed  the  peak  of  the  mainsail,  and  the 
schooner  was  feeling  its  effects. 

A  few  yards  forward,  Jerry  and  the  port  watch 
were  still  toiling  over  the  "  sea-anchor."  Twice 
they  had  tried  to  set  it  in  position  for  launching, 
and  each  time  wind  and  sea  had  overmastered 
them.  Jack,  in  an  agony  lest  the  structure  should 
be  launched  before  the  yacht  was  laid  about  on  the 
other  tack,  or  at  least  so  near  the  wind  that  the 
awkward  contrivance  could  be  got  over  the  bows 
to  port,  stumbled  forward  shouting. 

"  To  port !  "  he  roared.    "  Get  it  over  to  port !  " 

He  gripped  Jerry  by  the  arm. 

"  The  wrong  tack  !"  he  bellowed  in  the  mate's 
ear.  "  Run  it  over  to  leeward,  and  put  it  over 
when  I  wave  my  arm.  Watch  sharp  !  " 

"  Aye  ! "  shouted  Tab,  but  Jack  was  already 
gone. 


STORM!  303 

Castleport  stumbled  aft  much  as  he  had  gone 
forward,  now  climbing  laboriously  up  hill,  now 
leaning  back  and  struggling  to  keep  himself  from 
rushing  headlong  down  the  sloping  deck  with  an 
impetus  that  would  have  carried  him  overboard. 
When  he  reached  the  cockpit,  he  dropped  inside 
almost  spent. 

"  Back  the  helm  every  time  she  rises  !  "  he 
called  to  the  men  at  the  wheel.  "We  want  her  to 
fall  over  !  " 

"  Aye,  aye,  sir." 

"Now,  then,  —  over  with  her!"  he  cried,  as 
the  yacht  rose. 

The  men  gave  her  all  they  dared.  The  effect 
was  imperceptible. 

"  Hold  her  !  "  shouted  Jack. 

At  the  risk  of  their  lives,  the  two  helmsmen 
held  her  as  the  schooner  slid  down  the  big  slope 
of  the  wave,  shivering  as  she  went.  As  she  rose, 
the  captain,  with  a  laughing  heart,  saw  that  she 
would  make  it.  He  tore  off  his  "  sou'-wester," 
and  waved  it  frantically  to  Tab  forward.  Jerry 
threw  up  his  arm  in  reply  ;  the  big  "  sea-anchor  " 
rose  from  the  deck,  and  went  out  on  the  port 
side. 

"  Helm  amidships  !  "  sang  out  Jack. 

"  Aye,  aye,  sir." 


304  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

The  Merle  began  to  drift  back. 

"Watch  along!"  the  captain  roared  again. 
"  Gaskets  on  the  mainsail !  " 

The  starboard  watch  began  to  wrestle  with  the 
heavy  canvas  which  they  had  partially  freed  from 
its  bonds  so  short  a  time  before.  The  sail  was 
made  snug,  and  the  Merle  dragged  back  on  her 
"  anchor,"  and  though  she  plunged  and  tugged, 
pitched  and  rolled,  still  kept  her  sharp  nose  to 
the  wind.  Through  the  mist  of  the  stinging  brine 
which  the  wind  drove  down  the  decks  in  sheets, 
the  captain  saw  the  hands  forward  pay  out  some 
forty  fathoms  of  scope,  and  then,  man  by  man, 
work  their  way  aft. 

"  I  'm  awfully  sorry  I  —  I  made  such  a  mess," 
Tab  shouted  in  the  captain's  ear  as  he  reached 
him. 

"It's  all  right,"  returned  Jack,  aglow  with  a 
wild  exultation.  "  It's  all  right !  No  matter." 

The  ominous  belt  of  opaque  mist  which  they 
had  so  shortly  before  seen  on  the  horizon  was 
now  all  about  them.  The  Merle  and  her  crew 
were  enveloped  in  a  shroud  of  rushing  rain.  It 
drove  before  the  blast  in  incredible  torrents,  and 
with  a  force  that  made  them  catch  their  breaths 
chokingly  whenever  they  faced  it.  The  seas  in 
creased  to  frightful  size.  Even  to  the  sailors,  bred 


STORM  !  305 

on  the  sea,  it  seemed  hardly  possible  that  the 
schooner  could  live  in  such  surges.  The  cockpit, 
although  self-bailing,  was  kept  flooded  ;  in  it  the 
water,  sloshing  about  with  the  motion  of  the 
schooner,  was  as  high  as  the  transoms.  The  up 
roar  of  the  wind,  singing  on  the  ropes  strung  by 
its  own  force  to  tautness,  was  like  the  shrieking  of 
an  immense  and  untuned  harp.  The  crash  of  the 
waves  sounded  like  a  continuous  cannonade  all 
about  the  yacht.  The  mingling  of  sea  and  air 
produced  a  vertigo,  as  if  everything  was  resolving 
again  into  its  original  chaos.  Yet  in  the  midst  of 
it  all  Jack  felt  his  blood  sing  in  his  veins  with 
pure  joy  of  the  battle. 

Suddenly  the  captain  remembered  the  broken 
skylights.  He  splashed  out  of  the  cockpit,  where 
he  stood  almost  waist-deep  in  the  jumping  water, 
steadied  himself  by  the  combings,  and  started  for 
ward. 

"  Pumps  !"  he  shouted.    "Come!" 

He  waved  his  arm  to  the  men,  and  the  yellow- 
clad  figures  detached  themselves  in  the  mist  and 
blurring  rain  from  the  points  of  vantage  to  which 
they  had  clung,  and  dumb,  obedient,  followed 
him. 

The  pumps  were  just  abaft  the  foremast,  and 
were  of  the  semi-rotary  sort.  The  bars  were  fitted, 


3o6  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

and  two  of  the  men,  swinging  themselves  back 
and  forth,  back  and  forth,  with  a  dull  and  dreary 
monotony,  began  pumping  as  if  they  had  become 
parts  of  a  machine.  A  steady  flow  of  water  came 
from  the  waste-pipe  in  a  continuous  stream.  It 
spread  out  over  the  deck  to  port  and  to  star 
board  as  the  yacht  swayed.  It  was  full  of  bubbles 
and  flecks  of  froth,  and  was  a  sickly  yellow  in  hue. 

Jack  set  the  rest  of  the  men  to  stretch  new 
tarpaulins  over  the  gaping  skylights,  and  then 
he  went  below  to  look  at  the  glass.  Drenched, 
bruised,  cold  from  his  long  fight  with  the  storm 
and  the  hours  which  had  gone  by  without  his  hav 
ing  had  food,  he  found  himself,  now  that  for  the 
moment  action  was  not  imperative,  seized  with  a 
sort  of  terror  at  the  perils  he  had  gone  through. 
The  instant  reflection  that  worse  might  be  yet  to 
come  restored  his  courage.  He  could  face  what 
ever  might  befall  as  long  as  he  might  act. 

The  sight  which  met  him  in  the  once  trig  cabin 
was  sufficiently  dispiriting.  A  thin  sheet  of  water 
swashed  softly  about  over  the  Turkish  carpet. 
It  chuckled  in  dark  places  as  if  sentient  and  fully 
aware  of  the  impropriety  of  its  being  there.  A 
locker  door  had  burst  open,  and  was  banging 
maddeningly.  Farther  forward,  in  the  dark  state 
rooms,  similar  noises  could  be  heard,  with  sounds 


STORM !  307 

which  suggested  that  all  sorts  of  small  things 
were  being  flung  about.  Everything  was  sopped 
with  sea-water  and  drenched  by  the  beating  rain  : 
the  transom-cushions,  two  of  which  were  skating 
about  the  cabin  with  the  wicker  deck-chairs ;  the 
books  on  their  shelves ;  the  lockers,  the  mirrors, 
the  sheathing,  down  which  large  drops  ran  in 
dizzying  zigzags,  —  in  short,  everything.  The 
sight  gave  Jack  a  feeling  of  discouragement  worse 
than  anything  on  deck  —  even  the  tearing  away 
of  the  bulwarks  —  had  been  able  to  produce. 
He  felt  as  if  the  cruel  old  ocean  were  mouthing 
the  schooner  as  a  beast  breaks  the  bones  of  its 
prey  before  devouring  it.  He  drew  in  his  breath 
with  fierce  resolution,  all  his  combative  spirit 
aroused  to  fight  to  the  last  gasp,  and  made  his 
stumbling  way  to  the  barometer.  He  steadied  it 
with  his  hand,  and  read  it.  It  stood  at  27.04. 
This  was  a  drop  of  only  .05  since  his  last  obser 
vation,  and  the  captain's  face  cleared  a  little.  If 
the  glass  had  practically  stopped  falling,  as  appar 
ently  it  had,  the  hardest  part  of  the  gale  would 
come  soon,  and  be  speedily  over.  The  old  weather 
saw  came  into  his  head,  — 

Long  foretold,  long  last; 
Short  notice,  soon  past. 

The  relief,  slight  as  it  was,  affected  him  so  strongly 


3o8  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

that  he  almost  smiled.  He  reflected  that  the  Merle 
was  as  well  prepared  to  meet  it  as  under  the  cir 
cumstances  she  could  be,  and  he  had  no  real  doubt 
of  her  ability  to  ride  it  out,  unless  some  unexpected 
accident  disabled  the  "  sea-anchor." 

When  he  came  on  deck  he  was  greeted  by  Tab, 
who  had  taken  charge  in  his  absence,  and  who  asked 
eagerly  the  state  of  the  glass.  Jack  told  him,  and 
drawing  him  into  the  companionway,  where  they 
could  escape  the  wind  enough  to  talk,  he  added  his 
reasons  for  thinking  that  a  short  time  might  see 
them  through  the  worst. 

"  How  are  things  below?  "  asked  the  mate. 

"  Look  !  "  the  captain  answered,  with  a  sweep 
of  his  hand. 

Tab  bent  down  and  peered  into  the  dismantled 
cabin. 

"  The  devil !  "  he  cried  in  dismay. 

"  Precisely  —  but  it  might  be  worse,"  returned 
Jack ;  "  but  by  George,  Tab  !  "  he  burst  out  with 
sudden  vehemence,  "  I  -  -  I  'm  glad  I  haven't  got 
all  this  to  do  over  again.  You  don't  know  —  can't 
imagine  the  strain  of  this  sort  of  thing." 

"  Does  your  conscience  get  up  like  a  cat  with 
the  wind  ?  "  laughed  Jerry. 

"  No,  Tab,"  Jack  answered  soberly,  "  but  the 
men,  you  know,  and  thinking  I  took  them  into 


STORM!  309 

this  when  I  'd  no  right  to.  Oh,  rot !  No  matter, 
only  I  'm  jolly  glad  I  ran  off  with  the  Merle 
before  I  realized  all  this.  I  could  n't  bring  myself 
to  do  it  again  for  " — 

"  Come  on  deck,  Jacko,"  Tab  said,  after  a  brief 
silence  in  which  with  eyes  cast  down  awkwardly 
he  had  waited  for  the  captain  to  continue.  "  I 
know  how  you  feel,  but  thank  the  Lord  there  's 
work  to  be  done,  and  we  '11  fight  through  all  right. 
Besides,  Gonzague  's  forward  getting  a  ration  of 
some  sort.  We  can't  afford  to  miss  that." 

He  put  out  his  hand,  and  Jack  grasped  it 
appreciatively,  with  a  half-conscious  thanksgiving 
for  the  comfort  of  a  friend. 

"  Right  you  are ! "  the  captain  said  heartily. 
"  We  're  both  of  us  ready  for  a  feed,  I  fancy." 

And  out  into  the  storm  they  went  again,  buoy 
ant  and  ready. 


f 


Chapter  Seventeen 

FACING    THE    MUSIC 

"  WELL,"  Tab  said, "  I  '11  see  you  as  far  as  the  door 
for  fear  you  '11  bolt.  You  're  a  sight  nearer  funk 
ing  than  I  ever  saw  you,  Jacko.  You  must  have 
your  nerve  with  you  if  you  don't  want  to  come 
out  of  the  little  end  of  the  horn." 

"  I  feel  small  enough  to  go  through  it,"  Jack 
retorted. 

"  Oh,  that 's  all  right.  Just  take  a  brace, 
and  "  - 

"  Humph  !  "  snorted  the  captain.  •"  It 's  all  well 
enough  for  you  to  snoozle  round  and  give  me  ad 
vice,  but  if  you  had  to  face  Uncle  Randolph  your 
self,  you  would  n't  be  so  chipper,  let  me  tell  you !  " 

The  young  men  were  crossing  Atlantic  Avenue 
not  far  from  the  East  Boston  Ferry.  They  had  at 
last,  sea-weary  and  glad  of  land,  made  harbor  on 
the  previous  evening.  Jack  had  hardly  waited  for 
the  anchor  to  be  down  before  he  had  sent  off  in 
haste  for  his  European  letters,  intrusting  the  mes- 


FACING  THE  MUSIC  311 

senger  to  post  a  voluminous  epistle  on  which  he 
had  written  industriously  at  intervals  all  the  way 
over ;  and  for  half  the  night  he  had  read  and  re 
read  Katrine's  missives,  giving  Jerry  tantalizing 
bits  now  and  then,  with  messages  from  Mrs.  Fair- 
hew  enjoining  him  not  again  to  aid  and  abet  Jack 
in  any  nefarious  schemes.  In  the  morning  the 
crew  had  been  paid  off  generously,  and  given 
passages  on  the  City  of  Rockland.  Then  Gon- 
zague  had  been  left  in  charge  of  the  yacht,  and 
now,  with  feelings  curiously  mixed,  the  captain 
was  bound  for  the  office  of  his  uncle  for  the  in 
evitable  reckoning  with  the  owner  of  the  stolen 
Merle. 

It  was  a  bright,  sharp  morning,  without  a  cloud 
in  the  sky.  The  air  had  a  clean  crispness  which 
went  to  the  head  like  wine.  The  streets  were 
thronged  and  noisy.  Heavy  trucks  rolled  past  the 
pair  like  batteries  moving  into  action  ;  the  Elevated 
thundered  overhead  with  its  rumbling  screech. 
The  teamsters  shouted  profanely  at  their  straining 
horses ;  a  fat  policeman  at  the  crowded  crossing 
waved  his  arms  like  semaphores,  now  holding  up 
the  traffic  and  again  with  commanding  gesture 
sweeping  it  along.  The  shrill  voices  of  the  news 
boys  rang  out  in  mechanical  iteration  of  the  lead 
ing  sensations  of  the  morning  journals. 


3i2  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

"  Oh,"  cried  Tab,  as  they  walked  briskly  up 
State  Street,  "  how  good  it  is,  is  n't  it,  Jacko  ? " 

Jack  was  too  much  absorbed  in  the  interview 
before  him  to  do  more  than  nod  mechanically. 
He  could  not  at  the  moment  bring  himself  up  to 
the  gay  mood  of  his  friend. 

"  There  's  no  place  like  it  after  all,"  Jerry  ran 
on,  his  honest,  homely  face  aglow  with  delight. 
"  My  word,  you  may  talk  about  Italy  and  all  the 
rest  of  it  till  the  crack  of  doom,  but  they  can't  hold 
a  candle  to  good  old  Boston  !  Blest  if  this  is  n't 
the  best  part  of  the  whole  cruise  !  " 

"Think  so,  do  you  ?  "  asked  Jack  dryly.  "It's 
funny,  but  the  very  reverse  was  in  my  head.  What 
the  deuce,"  he  burst  out,  "  what  the  deuce  am  I 
going  to  tell  the  President  anyway  ? " 

"  Oh,  just  give  him  the  yarn  off  the  reel,"  re 
turned  Tab,  as  if  it  were  all  the  simplest  thing  in 
the  world.  "  You  Ve  got  the  log  with  you,  and  — 
I  say,  do  look  at  those  pigeons  !  Are  n't  they 
jolly  !  Come,  brace  up  !  " 

"  Oh,  yes,"  said  Jack.  "  Brace  up,  of  course  — 
in  the  very  mouth  of  the  lion's  lair.  Here  's  the 
building,  —  we  're  just  about  seventy  feet  under 
Uncle  Randolph's  den.  Brace  up  !  The  very 
thing,  of  course  !  So  glad  you  suggested  it !  " 

"  Now,  Jacko,"  protested  Jerry,  "  you  must  n't 


FACING  THE  MUSIC  313 

take  things  this  way.  Do  put  some  spirit  into  it. 
I  '11  leave  you  here ;  but  if  you  want,  I  '11  face  the 
music  with  you." 

"  No,  thank  you,"  his  friend  said  gravely  ;  "  I  '11 
take  the  medicine  alone." 

"  Well,  that 's  what  we  decided  last  night  when 
we  threshed  things  out.  Go  ahead.  Bring  the  re 
mains  round  to  lunch,  though.  The  Roundheads 
at  one.  It 's  eleven  now,  and  you  Ve  got  two 
hours  for  the  job  of  placating  the  president.  Come 
sure;  for  I  shall  be  in  a  stew  till  I  know  how  you 
two  get  on  together." 

"  All  right,"  Jack  responded  dispiritedly. 

"  Good  luck,"  Jerry  said,  stretching  out  his 
hand. 

"  Thank  you,"  Jack  returned,  giving  Tab  a 
hearty  grasp.  "  So  long." 

"  One  o'clock,"  Jerry  repeated ;  and  with  a 
buoyant  wave  of  the  hand,  he  went  on  his  way 
up  State  Street. 

"  Suppose  he  '11  weep  when  he  sees  the  Frog 
Pond,"  muttered  Jack  to  himself  with  a  wan 
smile.  "  Wish  I  felt  half  as  chipper." 

He  went  to  the  elevator,  and  pressed  the  elec 
tric  button.  The  big  cage  came  down,  the  boy 
clashed  the  door,  and  Jack  went  in  as  he  might 
have  mounted  the  steps  to  a  scaffold. 


3M-  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

"  Mr.  Drake's,"  he  said  briefly,  moistening  his 
lips,  and  wondering  why  they  seemed  so  stifF  and 
dry. 

Deposited  on  the  proper  floor,  he  tucked  the 
brown  log-book  more  tightly  under  his  arm,  and 
approached  his  uncle's  office. 

"  I  must  have  time,"  he  said  to  himself.  "  I 
have  n't  thought  this  business  out  for  a  cent." 

He  turned  on  his  heel,  and  walked  slowly  down 
the  marble-flagged  corridor  past  the  glazed  doors 
of  half  a  dozen  offices.  Then  he  stopped  with 
sudden  resolution. 

"  Damn  it !  Be  a  man  !  "  he  adjured  himself. 
"This  won't  do." 

He  walked  resolutely  up  to  the  door,  and  en 
tered  his  uncle's  outer  office.  A  typewriter  was 
clicking  busily  at  one  desk,  and  various  clerks 
were  scratching  away  assiduously.  Several  people 
were  seated  about,  evidently  waiting  to  speak 
with  Mr.  Drake.  Even  as  Jack  entered,  the  door 
opened,  and  a  man  came  out  from  the  inner  room. 
The  head  clerk  nodded  to  Jack,  but  regarded 
him  curiously. 

"  How  do  you  do,  Mr.  Castleport  ?  "  he  said. 

"  Can  I  see  my  uncle  ? "  Jack  asked,  returning  his 
salutation,  and  he  added  to  himself,  "  He  knows 
all  about  the  Merle.  I  can  tell  by  his  looks." 


FACING  THE  MUSIC  315 

"  He's  pretty  busy  this  morning,"  the  clerk 
answered,  "  but  I  '11  tell  him  you  're  here.  Of 
course  he  '11  see  you  as  soon  as  he  can." 

Jack  took  a  seat  and  waited  until  the  next  man 
came  out  of  the  inner  office.  Then  the  head  clerk 
went  in,  and  in  a  moment  returned  with  a  queer 
look  on  his  face.  "  Mr.  Drake  says  these  men 
are  here  by  appointment,"  he  reported,  "  and  he 
cannot  see  you  till  they  are  gone." 

"  All  right,"  Jack  answered,  reflecting  ruefully 
that  he  was  not  accustomed  to  be  thus  kept  wait 
ing  in  his  uncle's  office.  "  I  am  in  no  hurry." 

He  settled  himself  in  his  chair,  feeling  that  he 
could  have  borne  anything  better  than  this  delay, 
and  half  tempted  now  to  give  it  up,  and  beat  a 
retreat.  He  saw  one  man  after  another  go  into 
the  inner  room,  and  after  a  time  return  and  go 
away.  He  crossed  and  recrossed  his  legs  with  an 
impatient  feeling  that  he  had  never  sat  in  so  un 
comfortable  a  chair.  He  tried  to  beguile  the  time 
by  reading  the  log,  but  first  he  opened  to  the 
account  of  the  lifting  of  the  Merle,  and  then  to 
the  story  of  how  her  bulwarks  were  torn  away  by 
the  storm.  He  fell  to  thinking  how  good  Uncle 
Randolph  had  always  been  to  him,  and  every 
minute  felt  more  and  more  like  a  wretch  for 
having  left  the  old  gentleman  stranded  at  North 


3i6  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

Haven.  The  time  grew  longer  and  longer,  and 
every  moment  more  intolerable  as  the  second  hour 
began  to  drag  its  slow  length  after  the  first.  Then 
he  noticed  that  only  one  man  remained  to  delay 
his  interview,  and  so  completely  was  he  demor 
alized  that  he  felt  that  he  would  have  given  any 
thing  in  the  world  to  be  excused  from  the  trial 
before  him.  It  seemed  to  him  that  the  last  man 
but  one  did  his  business,  whatever  it  was,  in  an 
amazingly  short  time  ;  and  he  all  but  bolted  when 
the  last  went  to  his  appointment.  If  he  could  get 
away  and  think  things  over  once  more,  he  might 
perhaps  be  able  to  devise  some  sort  of  excuse 
more  plausible  than  anything  he  had  to  offer  ; 
and  he  all  but  started  to  his  feet  to  fly  when  the 
door  opened  to  let  out  the  only  visitor  who  had 
stood  between  him  and  the  dreaded  encounter 
with  the  president. 

"  Mr.  Drake  will  see  you  now,  sir,"  said  the 
office  boy. 

Jack  got  to  his  feet  as  if  by  automatic  action, 
and  felt  them  drag  him  forward  against  his  will. 
Another  instant,  and  the  door  had  closed  behind 
him  ;  he  stood  in  the  inner  office.  With  a  tremen 
dous  effort  —  an  effort  which  was  almost  physical 
-  to  pull  himself  together,  he  looked  up  at  his 
uncle. 


FACING  THE  MUSIC  317 

He  saw  a  slight  gentleman,  dressed  in  a  well- 
fitting  suit  of  gray,  looking  out  of  one  of  the  win 
dows  with  his  back  to  the  door.  The  office  was  high 
enough  to  command  a  view  of  the  harbor,  shining 
blue  in  the  sun  beyond  the  clusters  of  roofs  and 
chimneys.  Mr.  Drake  stood  for  a  moment  as  if 
examining  the  view  for  the  first  time,  while  Jack 
wondered  whether  this  unconsciousness  of  his  pre 
sence  was  real,  or  was  of  a  piece  with  the  infliction 
of  the  long  wait.  Then  the  President  turned  to 
him,  and  bowed  formally,  as  if  to  a  stranger.  His 
face  wore  a  curious  look  of  weariness  and  patience 
which  somehow  reminded  Jack  of  his  father. 
The  high  forehead  was  wrinkled  with  a  line  or 
two  that  Jack  did  not  remember,  and  the  curly 
hair  was  surely  more  thickly  streaked  with  gray. 

"Well,  sir?"  Mr.  Drake  said  in  a  tone  hard 
and  even. 

"  Well,  Uncle  Randolph,"  said  Jack,  confused, 
"I --I'm  here." 

"  So  I  see,"  remarked  the  President.  "  Is  that 
what  you  came  to  say  ?  " 

Jack  felt  that  the  interview  promised  to  be  even 
worse  than  he  had  feared.  He  shuffled  his  feet  un 
comfortably,  and  studied  the  figures  in  the  rug. 
Then  he  looked  up  at  the  face  of  the  elder  man, 
and  something  in  it  smote  him  to  the  heart. 


3i8  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

"  Uncle  Randolph,"  he  said  suddenly,  "  I  sup 
pose  it 's  pretty  late  to  say  anything  of  the  sort, 
but  —  but  something  that  happened  on  the  way 
over  made  me  see  that — made  me  see  what  a 
blackguard  I  'd  been  to  steal  the  Merle  as  I  did. 
I  don't  think  apologies  are  much  good,  anyway, 
especially  after  you  've  had  all  the  fun.  It 's  a  good 
deal  like  trying  to  sneak  out  of  consequences, 
but  I  —  I  really  mean  most  sincerely  that  I  'm 
beastly  sorry." 

Mr.  Drake  did  not  move  a  muscle  of  his  keen, 
well-bred  face,  but  into  his  eyes  came  some  faint 
glint  of  humor  which  made  Jack  stop  in  confusion. 

"Are  you  done,  sir?"  his  uncle  asked. 

"  I  'm  not  quite  through,  sir,"  Jack  said  in  a 
sort  of  desperate  humility.  "I  —  I  —  that  is  "  — 
He  floundered  for  a  moment,  and  then  went  on 
with  a  rush,  "  I  may  as  well  explain  that  I  'm  not 
sorry  one  way;  that  is  —  I  can't  honestly  say  I 
wish  I  had  n't  taken  the  Merle,  for  I  —  you  know 
I  'm  engaged  to  Miss  Marchfield,  and  I  never 
could  have  been  except  —  that  is,  unless  I  'd  got 
over  there.  I  can't  be  sorry  for  that." 

"  No  ?  "  queried  Mr.  Drake,  raising  his  brows. 
"You  are  not  thinking,  perhaps,  what  is  the  price 
I  have  paid  for  the  privilege  of  congratulating  you 
on  this  engagement.  I  have  no  son,  and  from  the 


FACING  THE  MUSIC  319 

day  your  father  died  I  have  made  one  of  you. 
You  deceive  me,  humiliate  me  in  the  eyes  of  my 
guests,  make  me  the  joke  of  my  club,  leave  me 
high  and  dry  at  North  Haven  "  — 

Sad  and  sorry  as  Jack  really  was,  he  could  not 
help  the  impulse  that  made  him  see  the  chance, 
and  murmur  under  his  breath, — 

"  I  did  n't  think  anything  could  be  high  and 
dry  in  the  sort  of  fog  we  went  off  in." 

His  uncle  gave  a  slight  cough,  as  if  he  were 
strangling  an  inclination  to  laugh,  and  then  went 
on  in  the  same  even  voice  as  before. 

"  Of  course  I  can't  expect  you  to  have  any  feel 
ing  about  the  way  I  felt  about  your  tricking  me, 
any  more  than  of  the  anxiety  I  went  through  when 
the  Merle  disappeared,  and  I  did  n't  know  whether 
you  were  on  top  of  the  sea  or  under  it." 

"I--I  never  thought  of  that,"  stammered 
Jack,  feeling  his  cheeks  grow  hot. 

"  No,  I  suppose  not.  Nor  how  I  enjoyed  the 
storm  you  must  have  been  in  on  the  way  home. 
Lloyd's  people  sent  me  word  of  your  giving  them 
the  slip  at  Plymouth." 

"  But  they  let  us,"  Jack  put  in  eagerly,  seizing 
with  avidity  at  any  point  which  seemed  to  afford 
him  a  chance  to  defend  himself.  "  I  did  n't  think, 
Uncle  Randolph,  and  I  'm  afraid  I  've  been  a 


320  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

beastly  cad  to  you.  I  am  sorry  to  the  very  bot 
tom  of  my  heart." 

The  President  took  a  quick  stride  forward  and 
clapped  one  hand  on  his  nephew's  shoulder,  while 
with  the  other  he  grasped  warmly  the  hand  Jack 
put  out  swiftly  to  meet  him. 

"  There,  Jack,"  he  said,  "  that 's  all  I  want. 
You  don't  know  what  we  old  fools  go  through 
worrying  over  you  young  ones.  Perhaps  it 's  just 
as  well  you  don't." 

He  gave  Jack's  hand  a  vigorous  shake,  and  then 
turned  away  to  blow  his  own  nose  with  equal  vio 
lence.  Jack  himself  felt  hot  in  the  eyes,  but  he  had 
no  words  which  seemed  adequate  to  the  situation. 

"  Sit  down,"  his  uncle  said,  waving  him  to  a 
chair,  and  then  going  to  his  desk.  He  took  from 
a  pigeon-hole  some  letters  and  papers.  "  I  have 
several  things  to  say  to  you.  Mrs.  Fairhew  writes 
a  very  spicy  letter  when  she  wants  to." 

"  I  should  think  she  might,  sir.  She  can  be 
spicy  when  she  talks." 

"  She  says  I  did  n't  know  you  were  grown-up, 
Jack." 

Jack  blushed  at  the  remembrance,  vivid  and 
sharp,  of  his  declaration  to  Jerry  that  he  would 
make  his  uncle  realize  that  he  had  come  to  man's 
estate. 


FACING  THE  MUSIC  321 

"  Oh,  ho,"  said  Mr.  Drake,  regarding  him 
keenly,  but  with  humorous  eyes,  "you  thought 
so  too,  did  you?  Of  course  you  did!  Well,  I 
know  it  now,  and  I  Ve  been  an  old  fool.  I  con 
gratulate  you,  Jack,  with  all  my  heart.  If  Miss 
Marchfield  is  like  her  mother" —  He  broke  off 
as  if  his  thought  had  got  the  better  of  his  speech. 
"  If  she  is  all  that  Mrs.  Fairhew  says  she  is,  you 
have  a  treasure,  my  boy.  Don't  ever  run  off  with 
her  yacht." 

"  I  never  mean  to  repeat  that  performance  with 
anybody,"  Jack  declared  stoutly,  again  shaking 
hands  fervently.  "  You  Ve  always  been  awfully 
good  to  me,  Uncle  Randolph,  and  I've  never 
done  anything  for  you." 

"  Hum,  perhaps  not  that  you  know  of,"  the 
other  replied,  with  a  humorous  lift  of  his  eye 
brows  ;  "  but  we  sometimes  do  good  when  we 
think  we  're  doing  harm.  Read  this." 

He  held  out  a  long  blue  envelope,  much 
stamped  and  written  upon,  and  provided  with 
both  American  and  English  postage-stamps.  Jack 
knew  it  at  a  glance  as  the  one  he  had  taken  from 
the  messenger  that  foggy  night  at  North  Haven, 
had  found  in  the  pocket  of  his  coat  at  Nice,  and 
had  after  much  cogitation  remailed  at  Plymouth. 
In  the  upper  left-hand  corner  was  the  notice  to 


322  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

return  to  R.  B.  Tillington,  if  not  delivered  in  five 
days,  and  the  Boston  address  written  in  his  own 
hand.  He  drew  out  the  letter  and  read :  — 

MY  DEAR  DRAKE,  —  You  and  I  have  known 
the  ins  and  outs  of  the  market  for  so  many  years 
that  we  ought  to  appreciate  both  the  danger  of 
getting  into  an  unsound  stock  and  the  foolishness 
of  letting  the  real  thing  go  by  for  the  want  of  a 
little  courage.  I  think  you  are  not  likely  to  have 
forgotten  what  Orrington  said  in  the  club  last 
week  about  Orion  Copper,  or  that  I  told  you  I 
meant  to  sift  that  thing  to  the  very  bottom.  Well, 
I  have  been  looking  it  up  with  a  microscope  ever 
since.  I  enclose  three  or  four  copies  of  letters,  — 
this  is  all  confidential,  of  course  ;  you  would  know 
that  without  my  saying  so,  but  the  thing 's  too 
important  not  to  be  particular  about.  I  write  to 
you  because  I  Ve  got  to  have  somebody  share  the 
thing,  and  I  think  you  can  raise  the  money  with 
out  putting  anybody  on  the  scent.  Besides  that, 
we  have  always  got  on  well  together,  I  believe  in 
your  luck,  and  I  want  somebody  to  stand  with  me 
in  running  the  whole  thing.  There  's  nothing  less 
than  millions  in  it  if  we  can  get  control  at  once. 
Sell  anything, —  I  'm  selling  everything  myself,  — 
and  get  in  on  the  ground  floor  of  Orion.  If  I  had 


FACING  THE  MUSIC  323 

known  just  where  to  hit  you,  I  'd  have  got  you  to 
town  to  investigate  for  yourself;  but  I  've  wasted 
a  small  fortune  already  telegraphing  to  every 
damned  port  on  the  coast  I  could  think  of. 
You  '11  find  wires  waiting  at  every  place  you  put 
into.  Orion  's  bound  to  be  the  coming  financial 
constellation.  B.  B.,  Mellington,  Foster,  and  two 
or  three  others  have  blundered  into  it  just  by  bull 
luck,  but  they  have  n't  got  enough  stock  to  hurt 
us  if  you  '11  stand  by  me. 

Yours  for  Orion, 

R.  B.  T. 

Jack  read  in  steadily  increasing  consternation. 

"  Good  heavens  !  "  he  said.  "  Did  I  make  you 
lose  the  chance  ?  Did  you  get  the  telegrams  ?  " 

"  I  got  them,  but  they  referred  me  to  the  letter, 
and  I  was  too  upset  about  the  Merle  to  pay  much 
attention.  Then  I  went  over  to  the  island,  and 
stayed  there  three  or  four  days  ;  so  that  by  the 
time  I  did  get  a  letter  —  a  second  one  —  the 
whole  thing  was  over." 

"  Was  that  what  broke  Tillington  ?  "  Jack 
asked,  feeling  as  if  his  escapade  had  destroyed 
half  the  financial  world. 

"  It  saved  me  from  going  with  him,"  Mr.  Drake 
returned,  with  a  smile.  "  See  here."  He  extended 


324  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

a  lot  of  newspaper  cuttings,  and  then  drew  them 
back.  "  Never  mind,  though,"  he  went  on. 
"  There  's  no  need  of  going  into  the  particulars. 
The  whole  thing  was  a  trap  from  beginning  to 
end.  If  you  made  a  fool  of  me,  Jack,  by  running 
off  with  the  Merle,  it  is  n't  a  circumstance  to  the 
fool  I  'd  have  made  of  myself  if  I  'd  got  that  let 
ter.  If  it  had  n't  been  for  that  perfectly  heartless 
and  entirely  inexcusable  performance  of  yours, 
we  'd  both  of  us  be  beggars  at  this  blessed  mo 
ment.  We  came  so  near  it  that  I  can't  read  that 
sign  downstairs,  *  Beggars  and  Peddlers  not  Al 
lowed,'  without  thinking  how  near  I  was  to  having 
it  forbid  me  my  own  office." 

"  Do  you  really  mean  it,  Uncle  Randolph  ?  " 
Jack  asked  half  breathlessly. 

"  I  do  mean  it,  my  boy,  though  I  'm  afraid  the 
moral  of  it  all 's  pretty  crooked.  I  had  been  led 
in  with  a  cleverness  that  gives  me  cold  shivers. 
That  talk  at  the  club  that  I  'd  heard  as  if  by  acci 
dent  had  all  been  planned  out,  and  so  on  for  a  lot 
more  things  I  won't  go  into.  Mellington's  blown 
his  brains  out,  and  poor  old  Foster  is  n't  up  to 
anything  but  cadging  for  drinks  at  the  club,  and 
telling  how  he  was  roped  in  when  he  was  drunk, 
poor  old  fellow  !  I  was  so  sure  of  Orion  that  I  'd 
have  put  in  the  last  dollar  of  yours  or  mine  I  could 


FACING  THE  MUSIC  325 

have  laid  hands  on  !  I  feel  like  a  humbug  when 
men  congratulate  me  on  knowing  enough  to  keep 
out  of  the  mess." 

"  And  I  saved  you  ?  "  cried  Jack,  bending  for 
ward  with  boyish  eagerness. 

"  Yes,  you  rascallyjackanapes  ;  but  small  credit 
to  you  !  " 

Jack  sent  the  log  up  into  the  air,  and,  bound 
ing  to  his  feet,  caught  it  as  it  fell. 

"  Whoop  !  "  he  shouted.  "  Oh,  how  glad  I  am 
old  Tillington  wrote  that  letter  and  I  carried  it 
off!" 

The  President  laughed  with  responsive  joyous- 
ness,  but  reminded  his  ebullient  nephew  that  there 
were  clerks  in  the  other  room.  He  began  to  ask 
questions  about  the  voyage,  but  the  clock  struck 
one  and  Jack  recalled  the  fact  that  Taberman  was 
waiting  for  him  at  the  Roundheads,  and  probably 
was  on  tenterhooks  for  his  news. 

"You'll  come  to  luncheon,  won't  you,  sir?" 
he  pleaded. 

"  That  '11  look  well,"  retorted  his  uncle  with 
humorous  derision.  "  Everybody  knows  about 
your  running  off  with  the  Merle  —  Bardale 
could  n't  hold  his  tongue  —  and  I  shall  be  ac 
cused  of  condoning  a  felony." 

Nevertheless  they  set  out  arm  in  arm  for  the 


326  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

club,  and  as  they  went  the  President  informed  his 
secretary  that  he  should  not  be  back  at  the  office 
that  afternoon. 

"  We  shall  want  to  run  over  the  log,"  he  ex 
plained  to  Jack  as  they  waited  for  the  elevator. 
"I  Ve  no  doubt  it  will  make  you  blush  to  have 
me  read  it,  but  I  'm  going  to." 

"  I  brought  it  for  you,"  Jack  answered,  with  a 
grin  of  pure  joy.  "  Do  you  mind  waiting  a  min 
ute,  while  I  send  a  cable  to  Katrine  ?  She  was 
awfully  anxious  to  know  how  hard  you  'd  be  on 
me." 

"Now  she'll  think  I've  no  backbone  at  all. 
Well,  when  you  played  me  that  trick,  Jack,  I  felt 
terribly  old  and  alone ;  but  I  think  I  am  a  little 
bit  younger  now  you  're  back,  and  prepared  to 
behave  yourself." 

"  Wait  till  you  Ve  read  the  log,"  laughed  Jack, 
"  and  you  '11  think  you  're  in  your  teens  !  " 


Chapter   Eighteen 

EPILUDE 

JACK,  who  had  been  dining  at  Mrs.  Fairhew's, 
was  taking  leave  of  Katrine  one  evening  a  few 
weeks  before  the  day  set  for  the  wedding.  The 
farewell  had  all  the  characteristic  deliberateness 
which  has  marked  the  unwilling  separation  of  en 
gaged  couples  from  time  immemorial,  and  was 
to-night  prolonged  more  than  usual  by  his  teasing 
refusal  to  answer  a  question. 

"  Do  tell  me  what  the  great  secret  is  between 
you  and  Mr.  Drake,  Jack,"  she  begged.  "  I 
think  you  are  perfectly  horrid  !  " 

He  looked  down  into  her  face  and  laughed 
softly. 

"You're  not,"  he  returned.  "  You  're  perfectly 
stunning  to-night." 

"  Of  course  I  am,"  she  retorted,  laughing  and 
pouting  ;  "  but  you  can't  put  me  off  with  a  com 
pliment.  If  you  had  n't  meant  to  tell  me,  you 
would  n't  have  spoken  about  it  at  all ;  and  I  think 


328  A  MADCAP  CRUISE 

you  Ve  teased  me  enough.  What  is  it  about  the 
President  and  you  ?  " 

She  touched  the  tips  of  her  ringers  to  his  cravat, 
as  if  she  were  straightening  it,  whereas  she  was 
probably  only  exerting  instinctively  her  privilege 
of  proprietorship  in  Jack  and  his  belongings. 

"Well,"  he  laughed,  "you  have  borne  it  beau 
tifully,  and  I  've  had  you  crazy  with  curiosity  till 
I  don't  dare  put  off  telling  you.  But  you  '11  prob 
ably  lie  awake  half  the  night  thinking  about  it." 

"  That  depends  upon  how  important  it  is." 

"  I  expect  to  be  paid  for  telling  you,"  he  de 
clared  with  a  look  that  made  her  flush. 

"  I  should  think  you  might  be  generous  enough 
to  tell  me  for  nothing,"  she  responded ;  but  her 
dimples  deepened. 

He  stooped  forward  quickly,  and  kissed  her. 
Then  he  took  both  her  hands  in  his,  and  stood 
caressing  them  while  he  went  on. 

"  The  news  is  this,"  he  said.  "  We  Ve  got  to 
change  our  plans  for  the  wedding  journey  from 
stem  to  stern." 

"  Why,  Jack  !   What  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  It 's  a  fact,  dear,"  he  went  on,  assuming  an 
expression  of  profound  regret  which  was  too  obvi 
ously  artificial  to  be  depressing. 

"  But  why  ?  " 


EPILUDE  329 

"  Because  —  Are  you  ready  for  a  great  shock  ? 
Would  n't  you  like  me  to  support  you  in  case  you 
could  n't  bear  it  ?  " 

"  Don't  be  silly,"  she  urged,  with  an  adorable 
smile.  "  Because  what  ?  " 

"  Because  Uncle  Randolph  has  given  us  the 
Merle  as  a  wedding  present.  He  told  me  this 
afternoon,  so  that  we  should  have  time  to  shape 
our  plans  accordingly." 

"  Oh,  dear  Jack  !  " 

cc  Splendid  of  him,  is  n't  it  ?  How  would  it 
strike  you  to  have  the  Merle  sent  over  and  to  take 
a  whole  year  in  her  on  the  Mediterranean  ? " 

"  Oh,  that  would  be  too  beautiful  !  "  Katrine 
cried. 

She  clasped  her  hands,  and  looked  up  at  him 
with  loving  brave  eyes.  Her  first  thought  was  of 
his  pleasure,  and  instantly  followed  the  reflection 
that  she  was  making  her  first  sacrifice ;  for  her 
quick  mind  foresaw  that  Jack  on  a  yacht,  with 
duties  in  which  he  delighted,  would  probably  be 
less  wholly  hers  than  in  the  travel  by  land  which 
they  had  arranged.  She  smiled  wonderfully,  and 
for  the  first  time  in  their  engagement  she  bent  for 
ward  of  her  own  accord,  and  offered  him  her  lips. 


(Ibe  Caitirrsibr  prrs* 

Electrotyped  and  printed  by  H.  O.  Houghton  &•  C«. 
Cambridge,  Mast.,  U.S.A. 


The  following  pages  are  devoted 
to  notices  of  some  recent  success 
ful  fiction  published  by  Houghton, 
Mifflin  &  Company. 


The 

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By  GAMALIEL  BRADFORD,  Jr. 

THE  love  story  of   an    Italian    countess   and  a 
wealthy  young  American  "cub."     An  amus 
ing  comedy. 

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"It  narrates  directly,  and  with  just  enough  philosoph 
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feeling,  the  experiences  of  a  party  of  Americans  visit 
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St.  Louis  Globe-Democrat. 

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HOUGHTON,  />§»•  BOSTON 

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DAPHNE 

An  Autumn  Pastoral 


By  MARGARET  SHERWOOD 


"  In  Daphne  we  have  a  most  delightfully  refreshing 
story.  In  addition  to  a  charming  love-story  of  a  young 
Italian  for  an  American  girl,  Miss  Sherwood  has  given 
us  some  rare  descriptions  of  Italian  peasant  scenes, 
and  some  graphic  pictures  of  Italian  woods,  moun 
tains,  and  sunsets."  Review  of  Reviews. 

"  The  story  of  their  love  is  simply  and  sweetly  told, 
and  with  so  exquisite  a  feeling  and  so  masterly  a  touch 
that  the  story  takes  place  in  one's  mind  beside  the 
little  classics  that  he  loves." 

.    Indianapolis  Sentinel, 


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JOHN  PERCYFIELD 


By  C.  HANFORD  HENDERSON 


"John  Percyfield  is  twisted  of  a  double  thread  — • 
delightful,  wise,  sunshiny  talks  on  the  lines  laid 
down  by  the  Autocrat,  and  an  autobiographical  love 
story.  It  is  full  of  wisdom  and  of  beauty,  of  delicate 
delineation,  and  of  inspiring  sentiment." 

New  York  Times. 

"  Its  merits  will  rank  it  among  the  few  sterling 
books  of  the  day."  Boston  Transcript. 

"A  book  of  rare  charm  and  unusual  character  .  .  . 
fresh  and  sweet  in  tone  and  admirably  written 
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HEROES  of  the  STORM 

By  WILLIAM  D.  O'CONNOR 


WONDERFULLY    graphic   accounts    of    the 
most  famous  rescues  from  shipwreck  by  the 
crews  of  the  U.  S.  Life-Saving  Service.     O'Connor 
was  a  master  in  writing  of  the  sea  and  its  perils. 

"  That  his  style  was  strong  and  smooth  is  shown  by 
these  descriptions  of  wrecks  which  undoubtedly  are 
correct  in  every  detail.  The  unflagging  zeal  and 
striking  heroism  of  the  life  savers  clearly  is  demon 
strated,  and  a  new  emphasis  is  given  to  the  perils  of 
life  on  the  ocean  wave." 

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A 

COUNTRY  INTERLUDE 

By  HILDEGARDE  HAWTHORNE 

"  The  love  story  of  a  girl  who  learns  through  a  sum 
mer  in  the  country  that  life  offers  more  than  mere 
material  comforts,  as  represented  by  a  lover  who  can 
give  social  position  and  luxury  of  surroundings.  .  .  . 
Miss  Hawthorne  manages  her  material  with  skill,  and 
writes  with  charm  and  conviction  of  the  beauties  of 
nature."  The  Outlook,  New  York. 

"A  Country  Interlude  is  equal  to  any  of  the  many 
stories  put  forth  by  her  famous  grandfather's  prentice 
hand."  Boston  Transcript. 

"  A  charming  little  volume  filled  to  the  brim  with 
happiness."  Chicago  Evening  Post. 

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A     000138670     5 


